Guinness Cottage Pie is a hearty dish filled with ground beef, onions, and vegetables. Topped with a mashed potato crust, this savory pie is perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, or as a weeknight meal.
Cottage pie, or shepherd’s pie, is a classic comfort food originating from the United Kingdom and Ireland. This pie is filled with ground beef, peas, carrots, onions, and a flavorful sauce. Creamy homemade mashed potatoes serve as a crust that tops this hearty pie.
Guinness beer is the special ingredient in this recipe, adding an extra layer of depth and flavor to the beef filling. Or, beef broth can easily serve as a substitute to make this a family friendly recipe.
Ingredients
Beef Filling
- 1 pound ground beef 85/15 or leaner
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 8 ounces Guinness beer or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream or milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- To save time, I recommend starting your potatoes, then preparing the meat filling while your potatoes boil.
Meat Filling
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, add onions and crumble ground beef into pan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until beef is browned and onions begin to turn translucent.
- Add butter and minced garlic, stirring to combine. Cook for another 30 seconds, then add flour and stir to coat. Cook for another minute.
- Add Guinness, worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and thyme to pan, stirring until incorporated. Add frozen peas and carrots, stirring to combine. Remove pan from heat and set aside until potatoes are ready.
Mashed Potatoes
- Peel potatoes and cut in half as needed to get uniform size throughout.
- Place in a large pot and cover with water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until potatoes fall apart when pierced with a fork. Drain well.
- Add heavy cream and drained potatoes back to your stock pot. Using a potato masher or an electric mixer, blend potatoes and heavy cream until no lumps remain. Add butter, salt, and pepper, and mix until combined.
- Spread mashed potatoes into an even layer over meat filling. Optionally, add texture to the top of your pie using a fork.
- Bake pie, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbling around the edges. Remove from oven and serve.
