Ian Obermiller

Part time hacker, full time dad.

Elevated Cottage Pie (Shepard Pie's Cousin)

Ingredients

Scale:

Beef

  • 2.5 lbs chuck steak, cut into 2" pieces
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt
  • 1½ carrots, rough chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, rough chopped
  • ¼ red onion, rough chopped
  • ½ bottle red wine
  • 1½ cups beef broth
  • 1 head garlic, halved
  • Rosemary + thyme, tied

Veg & Sauce

  • 1½ tbsp olive oil
  • ½ large yellow onion, diced
  • 1½ carrots, diced
  • 2–3 celery stalks, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1½–2 tbsp tomato paste
  • salt
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp flour

Potatoes

  • 4 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
  • heavily salted water
  • 1–1½ cups milk
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup Gruyère cheese
  • ¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Season beef liberally with salt & pepper, brown in a searing hot Dutch oven with butter & oil, remove.
  2. Add in chopped carrots, celery, onion in same pot for 3-4 minutes. Return beef, add wine, broth, garlic heads, and tied herbs. Cover, cook at 325°F for approximately 3 hours, until meat falls apart.
  3. Boil potatoes until tender, drain, steam dry with tea towels for 5 mins. Run them through a ricer (if you have) or mash them… fold in milk, butter, ¼ cup Gruyère.
  4. Heat oil in 12" skillet, cook diced onion, carrots, celery until soft. Add garlic & tomato paste, mix to combine. Turn off heat.
  5. Shred beef by hand once cooled, add to skillet, turn heat back on low.
  6. Strain braising liquid into pan, bring to low simmer, make a slurry with butter & flour, stir in and season. This will thicken it.
  7. Spoon mashed potatoes over beef, use an ice cream scooper for presentation and even distribution…then sprinkle remaining Gruyère & Parmesan across the top.
  8. Bake at 400°F for approximately 30 minutes, broil a few minutes to brown top, keep a close eye on it… rest 5 minutes before serving.

Adapated from @seattlehanddoc on Instagram.