Dinner · Meat & Poultry Mains
Cottage Pie with Scalloped Potato Topping
- Prep
- 25 minutes
- Cook
- 1 hour 40 minutes
- Resting
- 10 minutes
- Total
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Serves
- 6 servings
Bring it to the table
About this recipe.
Savory beef, carrots, and mushrooms beneath tender potato slices, cream, and a golden Cheddar topping.
Before you start
Gather your ingredients.
Check your pantry before you begin. Full quantities and serving adjustments are in the recipe card below.
See the ingredient checklist
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 lbs. Ground Beef
- 2 Large Yellow Onion (Diced)
- 4 Large Carrots (Diced)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Red Wine (dry)
- ⅓ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Beef Stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (Optional)
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar (Optional)
- 1 tbsp Thyme (fresh leaves, chopped)
- ½ lb. Button Mushrooms (Sliced 1/4 inch thick)
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes (Peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick)
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 2 Cup Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
- black pepper (to taste)
Tender Potatoes, Golden Top
Parboil the sliced potatoes until just tender, then layer over the hot beef filling. A roomy baking dish and rimmed tray help contain the bubbling gravy.
Adapted from Mary Berry at BBC Food.
The cooking plan
How to make Cottage Pie with Scalloped Potato Topping.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it into crumbles. Cook until browned and no longer pink, then transfer to a bowl.
Add the onions, carrots, and salt to the pot. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring, until beginning to soften. Whisk the flour into the wine in a bowl, then whisk in the stock. Return the beef to the pot and add the wine mixture, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar if using, thyme, mushrooms, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring until thickened. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if the gravy becomes too thick.
While the filling simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the thin potato slices for about 4 to 5 minutes, until just tender but still holding their shape. Drain carefully and let steam dry and cool a little.
Heat the oven to 425°F. Spoon the hot filling into a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish with about 4-quart capacity. Arrange half the potato slices over it in overlapping rows and drizzle with half the cream. Add the remaining potatoes and cream, then scatter with the Cheddar. Leave some space below the rim for bubbling.
Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fully tender, the top is golden, and the filling bubbles throughout. The center should reach 165°F. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Let’s cook
The full recipe.
Check off ingredients as you get them ready.
Changing servings? The ingredient list scales automatically. Adjust quantities named in the steps to match, and choose pans and cooking times for your batch.
Cottage Pie with Scalloped Potato Topping
Ingredients
1 tbsp Olive Oil- 1 lbs. Ground Beef
- 2 Large Yellow Onion Diced
- 4 Large Carrots Diced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Red Wine dry
- ⅓ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Beef Stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce Optional
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar Optional
- 1 tbsp Thyme fresh leaves, chopped
- ½ lb. Button Mushrooms Sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes Peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
- ½ Cup heavy cream
- 2 Cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and break it into crumbles. Cook until browned and no longer pink, then transfer to a bowl.
- Add the onions, carrots, and salt to the pot. Cook for about 7 minutes, stirring, until beginning to soften. Whisk the flour into the wine in a bowl, then whisk in the stock. Return the beef to the pot and add the wine mixture, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar if using, thyme, mushrooms, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, stirring until thickened. Cover and simmer gently for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if the gravy becomes too thick.
- While the filling simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the thin potato slices for about 4 to 5 minutes, until just tender but still holding their shape. Drain carefully and let steam dry and cool a little.
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Spoon the hot filling into a deep 9-by-13-inch baking dish with about 4-quart capacity. Arrange half the potato slices over it in overlapping rows and drizzle with half the cream. Add the remaining potatoes and cream, then scatter with the Cheddar. Leave some space below the rim for bubbling.
- Set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are fully tender, the top is golden, and the filling bubbles throughout. The center should reach 165°F. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Questions about this recipe.
Is this cottage pie or shepherd’s pie?
This recipe uses ground beef, so we call it cottage pie. Shepherd’s pie is usually made with lamb. Here, overlapping slices of potato, cream and cheddar replace the familiar mashed-potato topping.
Why parboil the scalloped potatoes?
The filling is already hot when the pie goes into the oven. Parboiling the thin potato slices for about 4–5 minutes helps them finish evenly. Drain them carefully while they still hold their shape, then arrange them over the filling.
What size baking dish should I use?
Use a deep 9-by-13-inch dish with about 4-quart capacity. Leave room below the rim for the filling to bubble, set the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and let the finished pie rest for 10 minutes before serving.
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