Okay, here’s my attempt at a blog post, following your instructions and example:
Today, I was craving something warm and comforting, but I also didn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. Enter: the quick and easy cottage pie. I’ve made this a bunch of times, tweaking it here and there, and this version is the fastest and, honestly, tastiest one yet.
Getting Started
First, I grabbed my ingredients. This is what I normally use, but feel free to swap things out based on what you’ve got:
- Ground beef (about a pound)
- An onion (chopped, of course)
- Some carrots (also chopped)
- Frozen peas (because who has time to shell peas?)
- Beef broth (the boxed stuff is fine)
- Worcestershire sauce (a few good shakes)
- Tomato paste (just a squirt)
- Potatoes (for the topping – I used about 3 big ones)
- Butter and milk (for the mashed potatoes)
- Salt and pepper(to your taste)
The Cooking Process
I started by browning the ground beef in a large pan. I just tossed it in and broke it up with a spoon until it was all cooked through. While it’s cooking, I preheat the oven to 200 degree.
Then, I dumped the chopped onion and carrots into the pan with the beef and cooked them until they got a little soft.
I then poured most of the oil.
Next, I stirred in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and a bit of the beef broth – just enough to make a nice, thick sauce. I threw in the frozen peas at this point, too.
While the beef mixture was simmering, I got to work on the potatoes. I peeled them, chopped them into chunks, and boiled them in salted water until they were soft enough to mash. Once they were cooked, I drained them and mashed them with a good amount of butter and milk, plus salt and pepper to taste. I like my mashed potatoes pretty smooth, but you can leave them chunkier if you prefer.
Finally, I put everything together. I poured the beef mixture into a baking dish. Then, I spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top. I roughed up the surface of the potatoes with a fork – this makes it get all crispy and golden in the * into oven and bake for 20minutes.
The Result
I let it baked about 20 minutes, let it cool for a few minutes, and… bam! Dinner is served. It’s warm, filling, and perfect for a chilly evening. Plus, it’s all done in under an hour, which is a major win in my book.
Seriously, give this a try. It’s super simple, and you probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen. Let me know how it turns out!