The Best Cottage Pie EVER!

I'm not generally prone to overstatement but this is certainly the best cottage pie I've ever eaten even if my presentation is a bit rubbish.  I mean it's almost worth making yesterday's pot roast just to have the ingredients!

I suppose Italians do that though.  If you look at their slow cooked hare or boar ragus, they are bubbled away for hours before being chopped up and served with pasta (and I heartily thank them for it).  So I like to think some traditional English establishment might stumble across my blog one day and realise what a fantastic idea this is!  I mean, ok, it's a leftover recipe now but sometimes thrift and hunger are the best inspirations.  Perhaps you might need to work on my presentation, I know, it's a bit ropey.

So, yesterday's recipe for Pot Roast will have had some left over if you weren't too hungry and I also encouraged you to cook a few extra potatoes.  Well here we go:

Amazing Cottage Pie for all the Family - serves 2 adults with quantities below, but easily increased.

Ingredients

Approx 300-400g Cooked Pot Roast Beef
Gravy (approx half from the pot roast)
Left over Mashed Potato from 2-3 potatoes (or 2-3 cooked jacket potatoes scooped out and passed through a ricer.)
30g Grated grana padano, parmesan or strong cheddar

Method

Cut up the pot roast into delicious little meaty shards.  Use a sharp chef knife for this.  Mix with the remaining gravy and put into an ovenproof baking dish.

Top with mashed potato.  I use a ricer which practically guarantees it to be lump free.

Then add the cheese and chill until ready to bake.

Bake for 30 mins approx or until browned on top and thoroughly hot throughout.  Serve with green vegetables.

Absolutely fantastic.  One of my favourite meals and frankly cottage and shepherds pies normally leave me cold.  Great for kids.  If you don't have enough ingredients for a full family version, it's worth making a kid sized one to stick in the freezer (uncooked) for when you're eating that chicken madras that might be a stretch too far...

Oh there are some seconds.  I'll be back in a mo...  nom, nom, nom...