Cottage pie & cabernet sauvignon

Winter’s cold days definitely call for something warm and comforting for dinner. Do we grill or do we roast?  Making the most of our lingering, coolish nights, we recently decided to indulge ourselves in a comforting Cottage Pie.

This is the English version of Shepherd’s Pie, made with ground beef instead of lamb. It pairs perfectly with our Cabernet Sauvignon, making for a delicious “Hello Winter” meal. Fine tannins and acidity are a great match for the creamy and buttery mashed potatoes. Sweet carrots bring out the classic bay leaf notes of the Cab and the blackberry, black cherry notes are a great compliment to the savory ground beef providing an all around delicious bite.

Cottage Pie Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium onion, diced

4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

1 rib celery, peeled and sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup canned low sodium beef broth

1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows

Mashed Potato Ingredients:

3/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

3/4 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

kosher salt

1 cup whole milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot with cold water covering by about 2 inches and add a couple pinches of kosher salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat until the potatoes are fork tender. Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.

2. Drain the potatoes, return to the pot. Add the heated milk mixture and mash the potatoes until desired consistency is reached. Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons of the parsley, all of the thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered until ready to add to pie.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

4. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the butter is browned slightly. Add the onion and cook til translucent. Add in garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add carrots, celery, salt and oregano and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire and pepper, cook for 5 minutes and then add ground beef. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink.

5. Transfer the meat mixture into a 2-quart baking dish and spread the mashed potatoes over the top, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge. Bake until potatoes brown and the juices bubble around the edge, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Enjoy!