Individual cottage pies are a comforting and hearty dish perfect for the remaining cold days of winter. These pies are made by filling ramekins with a savory mixture of ground beef, cremini mushrooms, and topped with creamy mashed Yukon gold potatoes before baking until golden and delicious. This recipe allows for batch cooking, making it convenient to freeze some for later enjoyment.
For the filling, you will need ingredients such as olive oil, ground beef, butter, cremini mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, salt, pepper, chicken stock, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce. The topping consists of Yukon gold potatoes, butter, salt, and egg yolks.
To prepare, start by browning the ground beef in a pot, then set it aside. Next, sauté mushrooms, onion, carrot, and celery until softened, adding garlic and seasonings before returning the beef to the pot. Stir in stocks and Worcestershire sauce, simmer until thickened. In a separate pot, boil and mash the potatoes with butter and yolks.
Divide the beef mixture into ramekins, top with mashed potatoes, and bake until golden. Let them rest before serving. This recipe yields 5 to 6 individual pies.