Hainanese cottage pie

This warming beef cottage pie recipe from Adam Liaw is a family favourite staple that the whole family will love. Served with parsley and veggies, don't forget a sprinkle of finely grated parmesan to serve!

• serves

  4

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  2 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Stream free On Demand

Grandma Taught Me

Watch the full episode here

G

Watch the full episode here

G

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stick, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 500 g beef mince
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 star anise
• 1 piece cassia bark
• 700 ml tomato passata
• salt and black pepper
• grated dry parmesan, to serve (texture of sand, available grated from the refrigerated deli section not the one in the cardboard tin)
• dried parsley, to serve
• 2 cups frozen carrots, corn and peas, cooked

Mashed potato

• 1.5 kg désirée potatoes, washed
• 350-450 ml thickened cream, as necessary
• 150 g butter, diced
• salt, to season

Instructions

1. For the mash, preheat your oven to 180˚C. Place the potatoes on a baking tray and roast for 2 hours until a small, sharp knife can enter and exit the potatoes easily. When cooked, remove them from the oven and halve. Holding the hot potatoes with a tea towel, scoop out the flesh and mash it, or pass it through a Mouli, then add the cream and butter. Season very well with salt and beat the cream and butter into the potatoes with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth. Reserve the skins for another purpose.
2. Heat the olive oil in large heavy-based saucepan over medium-low heat. Fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for about 15 minutes, or until fragrant and softened. Add the beef mince and fry until lightly browned. Add the tomato paste, bay leaves, star anise and cassia and mix well. Add the passata, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Arrange the mashed potato into a ring on your serving plate. Spoon the sauce into the middle. Scatter with parmesan cheese, dried parsley and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with a scoop of cooked frozen vegetables.

 

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

Want more from The Cook Up?

• Stream free here at SBS On Demand.

• Get the show recipes, articles and more here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Grandma Taught Me

Watch the full episode here

G

Watch the full episode here

G