Cozy cottage pie
soaking up the final dregs of cozy season
I’m sending this from my hotel room in Scottsdale, before jumping into the pool. Looking out my window at a literal cactus mere feet away this recipe feels insane to post. But, back home, we’re wading through the final bits of spring where snow flurries and warmer days take turns with no apparent rhyme or reason. This recipe is perfect for enjoying the final bits of cozy season. It comes together fairly quickly, but has the feeling of something that’s been slow cooked. Hearty, satisfying, and nourishing. A dinner fit for a chilly March night.
I love when cottage pie is on the menu because I feel like it perfectly encapsulates what we do at Scratch Made. It’s made entirely from scratch and using local ingredients, with one exception—the peas! Peas are best frozen and that’s all I’ll say about that!
But otherwise, the meat is from Watson & William, a local farm, the carrots, onions, garlic, and celeriac—all locally grown. The frames, necks and feet to make the stock come from Liberty Delight Farms nearby.
Everything you’ll need:
A casserole dish. This recipe is for a standard 9”x13” dish. Mine is vintage but if I were buying new, this is what I would get.
A flat wooden spoon for scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. That’s flavor, baby!
A heat proof rubber spatula for scraping the sides of the pot as this simmers. Whenever you’re simmering something on the stove you need both—a flat wooden spoon for scraping the bottom of the pot and a spatula for keeping the sides of the pan clean. This is the only one you’ll need and it comes in a pack of 2.
A Dutch oven or large sauté pan for coking the ground beef in.
A good old chef’s knife. I love this one.
A large pot for boiling the potatoes and mashing them in.
For mashing the potatoes, a food mill, ricer, or kitchen aid with the paddle attachment (don’t even think about using the whisk attachment!).
Cozy Cottage Pie
Ingredients
