Lamb and vegetables in rich gravy under a duvet of buttery mash, raked and baked until the peaks brown. Comfort with a crust.
What you need
Ingredients
Servings
6
500 g
🍖 Lamb ›
ground (or beef, for a cottage pie)
1
🧅 Onion ›
diced
2
🥕 Carrot ›
diced
150 g
🫛 Peas ›
2 tbsp
🥫 Tomato Paste ›
1 tbsp
🍶 Worcestershire Sauce ›
300 ml
🍲 Beef Stock ›
1 kg
🥔 Russet Potatoes ›
80 g
🧈 Butter ›
100 ml
🥛 Milk ›
warm
2 sprigs
🌿 Thyme ›
Add all to shopping list
Mise en place
Before you start
30m
Prep
45m
Cook
75m
Total
6
Serves
Equipment
Large skillet
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Prep checklist
Lamb — ground (or beef, for a cottage pie)
Onion — diced
Carrot — diced
Milk — warm
4 steps
Method
1
Boil the potatoes until tender, 15 minutes; mash with butter and warm milk until smooth. Season boldly.
💡
Warm milk keeps mash fluffy; cold milk seizes it gluey.
2
Brown the lamb; add onion and carrot and soften 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, thyme, and Worcestershire.
3
Add stock and simmer until the gravy thickens, 10 minutes; fold in peas.
4
Spread the filling in a dish, crown with mash, and rake the surface with a fork. Bake at 200°C until the peaks bronze, 25 minutes.
💡
The fork furrows aren't decoration — ridges brown, and browning is flavor.
From the chef
Notes
Taste before serving and adjust salt and acid — the last 30 seconds of seasoning matter more than any single ingredient.
Afterwards
Keep, reheat & pair
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days; reheat gently with a splash of water.
Freezing
Freezes well up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
Reheat gently: covered in a 160°C oven for 15 minutes, or in a pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock. The microwave works at 50% power in short bursts — full blast toughens proteins.
Make ahead
Most braises and sauces improve overnight. Sear-and-serve dishes: do every step up to the final cook, then finish fresh.
Wine pairing
Match the weight of the dish — ask the AI Chef for a specific bottle.
Beer pairing
Match intensity: lagers for delicate dishes, amber ales for roasted flavors, stouts for the rich and braised.