Kevin Dundon's ricotta topped cottage pie: Today
Topped with creamy ricotta, this cottage pie is perfect for spring.
Ingredients
Tips:
1. Reduce the filling for depth of flavour
Let the meat mixture simmer gently until slightly thickened before topping. A well-reduced filling prevents the pie from becoming watery and ensures a rich, concentrated flavour.
2. Enrich the topping for a lighter finish
Mixing ricotta into the mash creates a lighter, creamier topping compared to traditional butter-heavy mash. The egg yolk helps bind and gives a golden finish when baked.
3. Texture the top for a golden crust
Use a fork to create ridges in the potato topping and dot with butter before baking. These peaks catch the heat, giving a beautifully crisp, golden top while keeping the inside soft and fluffy.
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
400g minced beef, finely chopped
1 onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 leek, sliced
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp mixed dried herbs
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
500ml stock
400g mash potatoes
1 egg yolk, optional
200g ricotta cheese, grated
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 spring onion
2 tbsp butter, optional
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C.
Over high heat, drizzle the oil in a large sauté pan, add the mince and sear for a 4-5 minutes until browned, breaking up any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and pour the coloured minced into a bowl.
Place the sauté pan back over high heat. Add the onion, leek, carrot and garlic together with the herb and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Stir in back the minced into the sauté pan and season well with salt and pepper.
Add the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook gently with a lid for another 10-15 minutes until completely tender. Check the seasoning.
Meanwhile, warm up the mash potatoes, remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolk, ricotta cheese, spring onion and parsley.
Divide the mixture into a large gratin dish and spoon the potatoes onto the top of the meat mixture.
Using a fork, smooth the potato topping and add some extra dices of fresh butter with some salt and pepper.
Place the dish in the oven to roast for 20-25 minutes until bubbling hot and golden brown. Serve immediately with some crisp green vegetables.
