If you're looking for something easy, simple, and delicious, you've got to try our Paraguayan Style Cottage Pie recipe ''Pastelon de Papa''. This delicious Cottage Pie is made with a delicious mixture of ground beef and veggies and covered from top to bottom with creamy mashed potatoes—perfect make-ahead dinner for busy nights.
How to Make Cottage Pie
Note: The full instructions are provided in the recipe card below.
Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice. Cover in a medium saucepan with cold water, and season with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Set over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until tender. Place the milk, garlic powder, and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat until warmed, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes, add the milk mixture and black pepper, and continue to mash until smooth.
Stir in the egg yolks and shredded Parmesan until well combined. (You should have a thick potato mash. This is important because it helps with spreading and will make for a better Cottage Pie) Preheat the oven to 400° F. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the Cottage Pie filling. Place the oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, knorr beef flavor bouillon, and ground beef. Cook until browned and cooked through.
Add the chopped onion, diced tomatoes, and pepper; cook until tender, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Next, add the tomato paste, and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the wine and let it cook for about 2 minutes, then add the hot water and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the sauce thickens. Stir in the frozen sweet peas and carrots and cook until heated.
*You should have reduced the volume by about 50 percent(ish). Taste for the season and adjust if needed. With a spatula, spread half of the potato mash evenly into a 13" x 18" glass rectangular baking dish, then spread evenly the Cottage Pie beef filling on top of the first mashed potatoes layer, then top with the remaining mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg wash ingredients in a small bowl until combined. Then, brush the potato pie with the egg wash and bake the Cottage Pie for 30 to 35 minutes or until the potatoes begin to brown on top. Remove Cottage Pie to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Related Recipes:
- Perfect Meatballs recipe
- Classic Homemade Meatballs recipe
- Beef Stew with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes recipe
- The Best Beef Milanese “Milanesa de Carne” recipe.
- Beef Stew with Carrots and Sweet Potatoes recipe
- The Best Oven Baked Ground Beef Empanadas “Empanadas de Carne Molida al Horno” recipe
Recipe
Cottage Pie
Tools
Ingredients
For the Creamy Mashed Potatoes:
- 2 kg russet potatoes
- 1 cup whole milk , room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter
- ½ Teaspoon garlic powder , optional
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (to taste) for the water
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 egg yolks , room temperature
- ¼ cup shredded Parmesan , optional
For the Meat Filling:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion , chopped
- 2 carrots , peeled and diced small
- 5 fresh Tomatoes , cut in half and diced
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (90/10)
- 1 teaspoon red paper flakes , to taste
- 2 tablespoons Knorr beef flavor bouillon
- kosher salt , to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups hot water
- ½ cup red wine
- 350 g frozen or canned sweet peas
- Kosher salt , to taste
For the Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- small pinch of salt
- small pinch of ground black pepper
- small pinch of sugar
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water, and season with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Set over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until tender.
- Place the milk, garlic powder, and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan.
- Mash the potatoes and then add the milk mixture and black pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the egg yolks and shredded Parmesan until well combined. (You should have a thick potato mash. This is important because it helps with spreading and will make for a better Cottage Pie)
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the Cottage Pie filling. Place the oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic, red pepper flakes, knorr beef flavor bouillon, and ground beef. Cook until browned and cooked through.
- Add the chopped onion, diced tomatoes, pepper, and carrots; cook until tender, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Next, add the tomato paste, and cook for about a couple of minutes.
- Add the wine and let it cook down for about 2 minutes, then add the hot water and bring to a boil; reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the sauce thickens. Stir in the frozen sweet peas and cook until it is heated through.
- *You should have reduced the volume by about 50 percent(ish). Taste for the season and adjust if needed.
- With a spatula, spread half of the potato mash evenly into a 13" x 18" glass rectangular baking dish, then spread evenly the Cottage Pie beef filling on top of the first mashed potatoes layer, then top with the remaining mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the egg wash ingredients until combined. Then, brush the potato pie with the egg wash and bake the Cottage Pie for 30 to 35 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown on top. Remove Cottage Pie to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.