This Ain't Your Mama's English Cottage Pie

Sizzling Skillets & Other One Pot Wonders, by Emeril Lagasse

Photo: Catherine Murray/Photo Kitchen

Photo: Catherine Murray/Photo Kitchen

Having grown up with five kids in our family, shepherd's pie was a dinner staple. So much so, I refused to eat the stuff throughout most of my twenties. It wasn't until I moved to England that I reacquainted myself with the whole concept of 'pie.' Meat pie. Kidney pie. Shepherd's pie... Pie and I are now quite friendly. When Emeril's cookbook arrived, English Cottage Pie was one of the first recipes to catch my eye. It got stickie-noted...  


After studying the recipe, I became intrigued. This ain't my mama's pie... in fact, we NEVER had shepherd's pie. Lamb, which is the traditional protein used, was not part of our family diet. My mother always used beef, so for all those years (decades) we were eating COTTAGE pie. Another thing about the recipe that raised a quizzical eyebrow, was the sheer number of ingredients. Almost 25, including the herbs and spices. Of course, when one thinks of Emeril Lagasse, one thinks 'flavor.'  Flavor is present throughout this entire cookbook- and while many of the flavor profiles nod toward the south (as one might expect), I would say about 2/3 of the flavor profiles are unexpected, drawing on spicy world cuisines. And spicy is usually not a word found in the same sentence as "English Cottage Pie". Granted, this is probably the least spicy dish I've made thus far, but the root vegetables (parsnip & turnips) and white pepper gave the final dish a subtle kick. Speaking of vegetables, I loved the combination used in this dish. Autumn and root vegetables go hand in hand, so I'm excited to have another use for them outside of the usual roasting. 

Ancient potato ricer does the trick

Aside from the bazillion ingredients and inclusion of unexpected vegetables, another aspect of this recipe that seemed foreign (to my mind) is the addition of autumnal spices and cheese directly to the potatoes, which call for ricing... I have a ricer!  {NOTE: The newer version of this potato ricer, which I bought about 10 years ago at William Sonoma is shaped differently, but turns out the same fluffy potatoes}. I like super smooth potatoes, so the ricer is consistent for this.

Photo: Catherine Murray/Photo Kitchen

I also chose to replace ground beef (called for in the recipe) with ground turkey. Gotta keep the ol' ticker healthy... slowly, each of the individual components were introduced into the turkey mixture and eventually transferred into the baker (hence, One-Pot Wonder). We topped it with a layer of potatoes (and a little more for good measure) and popped it into the oven for a bit.  At this point in the process, everything is cooked. The oven time is meant to simmer all the flavors together and crisp up the potatoes.With the extra spuds, it took a little longer to brown., but once the cheese started bubbling, it was go time. 

Photo: Catherine Murray/Photo Kitchen

This is not a "set it and forget it" type of one-pot. It requires cooking and building the recipe in a certain order. I've come to appreciate this about the Sizzling Skillets cookbook. There is a reason Emeril has us combining spices and mixing ingredients in a specific order. The flavors build and it's obvious at the outcome. I'm not one for following recipes closely, but promised myself I would follow this one explicitly- partly out of curiosity, but mostly because I want to be able to speak to the outcome of the recipe (which can't happen if you cut corners)-- and justify (or not) the labor intensive prepping and pile of dishes in the sink. Totally worth it! 

Photo: Catherine Murray/Photo Kitchen

NOW, I turn my attention to the photographer who was parked in my kitchen for three hours, documenting two recipes start to finish. Catherine Murray, friend and foodie photog and owner of Photo Kitchen, was able to capture shots that I could never manage- especially since both of my hands were perpetually occupied with knives, spatulas and other kitchen gadgets. Catherine got in on the blogging action too, so you can read her take on things from behind the lens at her blog: Freshly Baked by Photo Kitchen. 

Photo: Catherine Murray/Photo Kitchen

As a vegetarian, this was not a dish Catherine was interested in tasting (although I did notice she sneaked a bit of the potatoes and said they tasted delish). She was however, eating up the Cottage Pie with her camera. And washing it down with a glass of wine... 
When it came time to dig in, my mouth was watering. The potatoes had that perfect crusty snap as the fork cut though. I could taste the hints of nutmeg. The meat, the vegetables, and the bit of sauce spilling out from beneath its potato blanket was amazing. When all was said and done, this was the best cottage pie I have ever tasted. Seriously. Granted, I rarely order something like this when we go out to eat, but if I knew such a delicious, rib-sticking slice of pie would turn up on my plate, I'd be all over it. 


Check out other test recipes from Emeril's cookbook Sizzling Skillets and Other One-Pot Wonders (now on sale) on the publisher's blog & The Secret Ingredient's Facebook Page.