Cottage Pie with Corned Beef (Protein)

cornedbeefcottagepieprotein This recipe is the love child of Shepherd's Pie and Corned Beef Hash. A delicious corned beef filling, topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. It can be made with leftover corned beef or canned corned beef.

Mashed Potatoes (or use leftover mashed potatoes):
1 lb potatoes, peeled and quartered (~4 medium-sized potatoes)
⅓ cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter
sea salt

Corned Beef Filling:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 cup onions, diced
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1½ Tbsp. ketchup
1½ cups chicken broth, or beef broth
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped or 2 tsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. dried thyme
1 (12 oz) tin corned beef, finely diced (340 g)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Topping (optional):
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp. dried breadcrumbs, or ¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs

Make the Mashed Potatoes:
Add peeled, cut potatoes (evenly sized) to a large pot of cold water. Add salt to the water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

Meanwhile, heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until warm, then keep warm until needed.

Drain then return potatoes to dry pot. Place over medium heat on the stove top. Add milk/butter mixture to the pot. Mash potatoes until smooth. Add a bit more milk, if needed. Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside (or cover and refrigerate if making ahead).

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Make the Filling:
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and starting to turn golden a bit. Add the Worcestershire, ketchup, chicken broth, parsley and thyme to the skillet. Simmer over medium heat until liquid reduces by half. Add the corned beef and reduce heat slightly. Simmer 3-4 minutes or until there is only a bit of liquid left in the mixture (don't let all of it cook off). Taste the mixture and add additional salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed.

Spoon filling into a small baking dish (8" round-ish). Spoon mashed potatoes over-top in an even layer. Top with shredded cheese, then sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until filling is heated through and bubbling and top is lovely and golden.

Makes 3 servings.

Cooks Notes:

Corned Beef: You can use left-over corned beef from a cooked corned beef brisket or reach for canned corned beef any time. If you find yourself a bit short of corned beef, consider some of the variations below, to add extras to your pie.
Mashed Potatoes: You can use left-over mashed potatoes or make some mashed fresh for this dish (you can make them ahead and refrigerate, then assemble the dish later). I used Yukon Gold yellow-fleshed potatoes for my mashed potatoes. You could also use Russets if you like.
Breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are optional, but if using, you can use dried breadcrumbs or Panko, as you like.
Be sure not to skip the step of reducing the liquid in the skillet before adding the corned beef. This process concentrates the flavours of the Worcestershire and Ketchup and makes for a fuller-flavoured finished dish.
After you have added the corned beef, simmer the mixture until there is just a bit of liquid in the pan, but don’t cook it until ALL the liquid has evaporated. Leaving some liquid will keep your corned beef layer moist as it cooks in the oven.
The cheddar cheese and breadcrumb topping is optional. You can skip if you like and you will still have a very nice dish. Since I’ve never been one to “skip the cheese”, I usually add it :)
If your cooking dish is filled to the brim like mine, be sure to place it on a baking sheet to catch any bubble over.

Variations:

Add frozen peas to the simmering corned beef mixture.
Add some diced tender-crisp, cooked carrots to the corned beef mixture.
Add some thinly sliced cabbage to the simmering corned beef mixture.