Cottage Pie with Leeks & Mushrooms

1

In a large oven safe pan, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and begin to brown the beef mince, you may need to do this in stages. That’s okay! Once all of the beef is browned, set aside.

2

In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil to the rendered beef fat, then add the leeks. Cook the leeks until translucent then add the mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms in batches until they are all browned. Then add the garlic, peas, carrots and season with sea salt.

3

Once the mixture is soft, add the beef back to the pan with the tamari, stock and cornstarch. Cook down until the stock is reduced to a gravy texture. Set the pan aside and allow the mixture to cool while you work on the mashed potatoes. The cooling will help the pie maintain its layers. Preheat your oven to 375°.

4

To prepare the mashed potatoes, boil your peeled potatoes in salted water (use about 2 Tbsp sea salt in the cooking water) and cook until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes and allow them to rest for a moment.

5

You can proceed to mash the potatoes with a potato masher but I prefer to use a potato ricer to get a fine and light textured mashed potato. If you do not have a ricer, you can press your cooked potatoes through a fine mesh sieve. It takes a bit of elbow grease but it’s worth it!

6

Once the potatoes are mashed, fold in your butter and milk to the mixture to add richness. Then begin adding dollops of the mash to your beef mixture. Once the dish is covered in an even layer you may spread the mash out in a decorative way using a spoon or fork if you wish.

7

Bake the pie for about 35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling. You can serve this dish with a big green salad or some simple steamed vegetables.