A Backstory
The recipe for cottage pie isn't a recipe passed down through my family. My parents, their parents and their parents’ parents grew up in poverty; they didn’t have the time or resources, and even if they did, they would not have had the money to make the same version of this recipe. As a picky eater, it's not something I ate growing up, it's not a special recipe at all, in fact, it was taken off of Pinterest.
Two years ago my grandmother’s Alzheimer's took a significant turn for the worse. Since it has progressed, she can't do much anymore, like cook, shower, or even move freely around the house without help. My grandad has had to take on a lot of responsibility in taking care of her, and although he’s a man of many talents, his age combined with his inexperience makes some tasks, especially cooking, an afterthought. He’s 84 now, he isn't very fit, he’s hard set in his ways, he struggles to learn new things, and so, making edible, much less nutritious, meals for himself and my grandmother has proved to be quite a challenge. With worsening Alzheimer's, my grandmother needs all the help she can get to stay as physically well as she can before she moves away. For some time now, my mother has been cooking for them. She pre-packages meals like curries, stews, soups, meats, etc. anything that my grandad can simply defrost and serve, minimal skills, minimal cleaning, minimal effort, and no trips away from the house, all while providing them with a full meal. Cottage pie is one of these recipes, and although my mom takes on the brunt of the cooking work, cottage pie is a meal that I learned to prepare for them.
I love my grandfather very much, he is kind and empathetic, patient and funny, and above all driven, he deserves every good thing that comes to him, and after 84 years, he deserves a break, a day off, and extra help around the house. In this case, he deserves meals to store in his freezer. It's not enough, he's done so much for our family, there is nothing that we could do that would ever be enough to repay him, but we try to show him every act of kindness, offer every helping hand, and support him in any way possible.
Cottage pie isn't a tradition, it's not a part of our family, but taking care of each other is, demonstrating resilience in the face of adverse times like these is, and above all, standing by each other's sides is what we try every day do to because, although we may not have a big family, or holiday traditions, or old recipes, we have people to turn to when we need them, people who don’t need to be asked to offer help, people who keep us together during hard times.
The recipe for cottage pie isn't a recipe passed down through my family. My parents, their parents and their parents’ parents grew up in poverty; they didn’t have the time or resources, and even if they did, they would not have had the money to make the same version of this recipe. As a picky eater, it's not something I ate growing up, it's not a special recipe at all, in fact, it was taken off of Pinterest.
Two years ago my grandmother’s Alzheimer's took a significant turn for the worse. Since it has progressed, she can't do much anymore, like cook, shower, or even move freely around the house without help. My grandad has had to take on a lot of responsibility in taking care of her, and although he’s a man of many talents, his age combined with his inexperience makes some tasks, especially cooking, an afterthought. He’s 84 now, he isn't very fit, he’s hard set in his ways, he struggles to learn new things, and so, making edible, much less nutritious, meals for himself and my grandmother has proved to be quite a challenge. With worsening Alzheimer's, my grandmother needs all the help she can get to stay as physically well as she can before she moves away. For some time now, my mother has been cooking for them. She pre-packages meals like curries, stews, soups, meats, etc. anything that my grandad can simply defrost and serve, minimal skills, minimal cleaning, minimal effort, and no trips away from the house, all while providing them with a full meal. Cottage pie is one of these recipes, and although my mom takes on the brunt of the cooking work, cottage pie is a meal that I learned to prepare for them.
I love my grandfather very much, he is kind and empathetic, patient and funny, and above all driven, he deserves every good thing that comes to him, and after 84 years, he deserves a break, a day off, and extra help around the house. In this case, he deserves meals to store in his freezer. It's not enough, he's done so much for our family, there is nothing that we could do that would ever be enough to repay him, but we try to show him every act of kindness, offer every helping hand, and support him in any way possible.
Cottage pie isn't a tradition, it's not a part of our family, but taking care of each other is, demonstrating resilience in the face of adverse times like these is, and above all, standing by each other's sides is what we try every day do to because, although we may not have a big family, or holiday traditions, or old recipes, we have people to turn to when we need them, people who don’t need to be asked to offer help, people who keep us together during hard times.
Instructions:
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 45 Minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients: Beef Filling
Ingredients: Mashed Potatoes
Prep time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 45 Minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients: Beef Filling
- 4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 Medium Yellow Onions
- 2 Large Carrots
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Lbs (900g) Lean Minced Beef
- 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Dried Rosemary
- ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
- 2.5 Cups (600ml) Beef Stock
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- ½ Tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
Ingredients: Mashed Potatoes
- 3.5 Lbs (1600g) Yellow Potatoes
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 4 Tbsp (60g) Butter
- ½ Cup (100ml) Milk
- Finely chop the onions, carrots and garlic.
- In a large saucepan, on medium heat, heat the olive oil, and add the chopped vegetables. Cook for approximately five minutes, until soft.
- Add the minced beef and, using a wooden spoon, break up the mince into small pieces, making sure it is evenly distributed.
- Once the mince has been browned, add the flour and stir quickly and thoroughly, assuring there are no lumps.
- Add the tomato puree, worcestershire sauce, ground cinnamon, rosemary and thyme, mix well.
- Add in the beef stock and bring to a boil, then, reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The meat should be cooked and not too liquid. Once it's done simmering add the salt and pepper, and remove from heat.
- While the meat is cooking, begin peeling the potatoes and cut into quarters, storing the peeled and cut potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning.
- In a second large saucepan, cover the potatoes in fresh, cold salted water (1 Tbsp Kosher salt) Boil the potatoes until tender, when you can easily poke a fork through them (Approximately 15 minutes).