Cottage pie with Irish stout and Colcannon topping

Colcannon for the top

  • 500g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 150ml full fat milk
  • 150g cold butter, diced
  • 200g savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pie filling

  • 750g of lean minced Irish beef
  • 1 tbls of plain flour
  • 2 finely chopped onions
  • 2 medium carrots diced
  • 200g peas
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 750ml dark beef stock
  • 750ml Irish stout
  • good pinch of picked thyme leaves
  • splash of rapeseed oil

Colcannon for the top

  • 500g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 150ml full fat milk
  • 150g cold butter, diced
  • 200g savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pie filling

  • 750g of lean minced Irish beef
  • 1 tbls of plain flour
  • 2 finely chopped onions
  • 2 medium carrots diced
  • 200g peas
  • 1 tsp chopped garlic
  • 750ml dark beef stock
  • 750ml Irish stout
  • good pinch of picked thyme leaves
  • splash of rapeseed oil
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Step 1

Place the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Step 2

Drain the potatoes and squeeze them through a potato ricer back into the pan.

Step 3

In a separate pan, bring the milk to the boil and add the finely sliced cabbage. Cook for a couple of minutes until the cabbage is tender.

Step 4

Place the pan of potatoes over a medium heat and gradually beat in the butter until smooth, then add milk and cabbage into the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper (if you like spice – give it a really good hit of black pepper to spice it up).

Step 5

In a large heavy based pan over a high heat add your oil and fry your Irish beef mince until golden brown then add your garlic, onion and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Step 6

Add your flour and stir well for 1 minute before adding your stock and stout and allowing to cook for 2 hours over a low heat.

Step 7

Once cooked and thickened add your peas, stir well and transfer into a suitable roasting pie tin before adding the colcannon mash topping and popping into a preheated oven until crispy on top.

copy text

Step 1

Place the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 15–20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

Step 2

Drain the potatoes and squeeze them through a potato ricer back into the pan.

Step 3

In a separate pan, bring the milk to the boil and add the finely sliced cabbage. Cook for a couple of minutes until the cabbage is tender.

Step 4

Place the pan of potatoes over a medium heat and gradually beat in the butter until smooth, then add milk and cabbage into the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper (if you like spice – give it a really good hit of black pepper to spice it up).

Step 5

In a large heavy based pan over a high heat add your oil and fry your Irish beef mince until golden brown then add your garlic, onion and carrot and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Step 6

Add your flour and stir well for 1 minute before adding your stock and stout and allowing to cook for 2 hours over a low heat.

Step 7

Once cooked and thickened add your peas, stir well and transfer into a suitable roasting pie tin before adding the colcannon mash topping and popping into a preheated oven until crispy on top.