Ceasefire Cottage Pie

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the Filling

30 ml (2 Tbl) of olive oil

1 kilo (2-1/4 lbs) of ground beef* at room temperature

45 ml (3 Tbl) of tomato paste

350 ml (1-1/2 cup) of red wine or beef broth or a combination of the two

250 ml (1 cup) of tinned tomato sauce or 3 cups of roasted cherry tomatoes

2 large carrots, cut into large dice

1 red or yellow pepper, cored and sliced into small pieces

1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced

4 cloves of garlic, mashed

15 ml (1 Tbl) of Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp of ground allspice

15 ml (1 Tbl) of dried marjoram or oregano

2 tsp of smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

For the topping:

4 large potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 medium-sized celery root, peeled and cut into similarly sized pieces to the potatoes**

150 ml (2/3-cup) of any sharp, hard cheese, such as parmesan or cheddar

30 g (2 Tbl) butter

Nutmeg

Splash of cream if needed

Salt and pepper to taste

Notes on the Ingredients:

* Beef: Not everyone has tenderloin tails lurking in their fridge, so feel free to use supermarket mince (hamburger meat) or leftover roast beef or pork cut up into small cubes. Throw in some bacon, ham, luncheon meat — whatever is lurking in the fridge.

** I love celery root for its flavor and the fact that it packs fewer calories than potatoes, but gives us the same comfort texture.   If you don’t find it or you can’t stand it, just double the number of potatoes.

Instructions:

• • 1. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch Oven. Brown the beef over medium heat for 5-6 minutes in batches, sprinkling generously with salt and pepper. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the browned meat onto a plate lined with paper towel.
    2. Discard all but two tablespoons of the remaining fat in the skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Add the carrots and peppers and cook for five minutes.
    3. Add the tomato paste, lower the heat, and toss with a wooden spoon to ensure the vegetables are evenly coated with the paste. Raise the heat and cook for one minute. Add the wine/broth and cook for 3 minutes, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the flavorful “bits” on the bottom of the pan.
    4. Add the spices, the Worcestershire sauce and the tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
    5. Allow the filling to cool to room temperature before proceeding.
    6. Make the topping by boiling the potatoes for 15 minutes, then add the celery root and cook for an additional 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the tines of a fork pierce the surface easily.
    7. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then set it over the empty pan to steam.
    8. When the steam has dissipated, add the butter, half of the grated cheese, the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Mash with a ricer or the back of a spoon. NOTE: don’t make this in a food processor. You want the texture to be chunky and lumpy and on the dry side. Use a bit of cream if you need to, but add it slowly and carefully in drips rather than torrents. You can always add more, but you can’t remove it.
    9. Preheat the oven to 180℃/350℉, and adjust the rack to the medium position.
    10. Soak a paper towel with the remaining olive oil and smear around the inside of a casserole dish, then spoon in all of the filling.
    11. Roll the mash potato topping into small (golf ball sized) balls and place them on top of the filling, so that they are touching. Use the tines of a fork to score the top. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, add a few sturdy grinds of pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden brown.
    12. If you want, add a few cups of frozen peas, plunged in boiling water or steamed for three minutes to each plate.

Note

Recipe Credit:  Jennifer Eremeeva