Cottage Pie - My Comfort Food

This story is SO last week.

Ya. Last week, hamba-hamba Allah di office secara tiba-tibanya rancang nak buat potluck. I was thinking of making trifle pudding - because making desserts are my expertise (sort of) - tapi sebab ada orang lain dah sebut dulu, I just need to think of something else yang simple dan boleh dimasak dengan minda yang 'blur' pada jam 5 pagi.

And this food suddenly popped into my mind. Cottage Pie.

Ya... I tahu kebanyakan orang panggil benda ni Shepherd's Pie. Tapi kalau ikut 'Kamus Inggeris British' milik ayah, Shepherd's Pie is made of minced mutton, and Cottage Pie on the other hand is made of minced beef. So yeah, I somehow insisted on calling it Cottage Pie.

This pie is my comfort food - selain dari ais krim dan pemanis mulut (mood 'sweetener', literally). I eat this when I'm utterly hungry, or upset, or just because. Cuma selama ni beli kat Secret Recipe. Kali ini, aku nak buat sendiri - pergh, dup dap dup dap jantungku.

500g minced beef, dicuci dan tos
1 1/2 atau 2 lobak merah, potong dadu
1 bawang besar, cincang
1 ulas bawang puting, cincang
2 camca tepung gandum
400 atau 450ml stok daging (I made mine using 400ml hot water + 2 cubes of beef stock)
1 camca sos Worcestershire
1 camca tomato puree
Garam dan Lada Hitam

2 atau 3 biji kentang Russet (saiz besar)
1 lobak merah, saiz sederhana
1 atau 1 1/2 camca butter


1. Panaskan air (untuk rebus kentang dengan lobak merah) dan masukkan sedikit garam. Sementara tunggu air panas, mula panaskan kuali.

2. Panaskan 2 camca minyak, tumis bawang putih sampai naik bau. Masukkan minced beef, goreng kacau dalam 5 minit. Masukkan lobak merah dan bawang besar, kacau dalam 2 - 3 minit.

3. Masukkan tepung gandum, kacau sampai sebati.

4. Masukkan stok daging,  sos Worcestershire  dengan tomato puree. Kacau sampai sebati, tutup kuali, biarkan mendidih dalam 10 minit. Sambung mendidih selama 5 minit, dengan kuali terbuka.

5. Sementara daging mendidih, boleh potong kentang dan lobak merah (in big chunks), dan rebus dengan air panas bergaram tadi, dalam 15 - 20 minit. Meanwhile, set oven to 200 Celcius.

6. Toskan kentang dengan lobak merah (simpan sedikit baki air). Masukkan diorang dalam mangkuk, masukkan butter, then turn them into mash.

7. Tabur garam dan serbuk lada hitam pada daging, kacau. Tutup api.

8. Masukkan daging dalam mangkuk casserole, top with potato and carrot mash. Bakar dalam oven lebih kurang 10 minit.

Et voilà!

Nota:

a) I did not put cheese on top of my pie, since some people in my office don't like cheese.

b) My pie (above) nampak pelik sikit, sebab instead of boiling the carrots, I grated them and drizzle them on top of the potato mash! Sort of a BIG mistake.
c) Kenapa guna kentang Russet? Sebab kentang jenis ni mudah empuk, and they have a creamy texture.
d) Baki air rebusan kentang tu gunanya waktu lecek kentang dengan lobak merah, kot-kot kalau nampak kering...
e) This pie can be stored if you don't want to eat it right away. Masukkan daging dalam bekas, ratakan kentang and lobak merah lecek, sejukkan, simpan dalam freezer. Thaw completely before reheat in oven for 30 mins.


Oh. Maybe later this week, I'll tell you guys about 'Lamb Shanks in Grape Juice' that I made a few weeks ago. Until then...