Traditional Cottage Pie

Hello all… Tonight's a late post - a reflection of a strange night here in Old Orchard Beach. To say the least…
I look at blogging as a way to free stress, and enable myself to just cook and melt the problems away. I'll admit though some nights I feel a lot like the meme over to the right. That's why I dumped about a cup of wine in this Cottage Pie.
If you can't beat it, drink it. If you can't drink it, bake it!

Traditional Cottage Pie

• Hamburger (1 Pound)
• Onion (Finely Chopped)
• Carrots (2 1/2 Cups, Finely Chopped)
• Peas (1 Cup)
• Thyme (4 Sprigs, Finely Chopped)
• Butter (1 Tablespoon)
• Beef Broth (1 Cup)
• Red Wine (1 Cup)
• Flour (2 Tablespoons)
• Worcestershire Sauce (2 Tablespoons)
• Tomato Paste (2 Tablespoons)
• Mashed Potatoes (3-4 Cups Worth)
• Parmesan Cheese (1/4 Cup)
• Paprika (A Dash)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large skillet, melt the Butter, and sauté together the Onion and Carrots until tender.

• Add in the Hamburger and cook until mostly done. Strain out the excess grease carefully, and put back on the burner. (After you wipe the grease off the skillet's undercarriage of course - no kitchen fires around here please!)
• Add in the Peas, Tomato Paste, and Thyme. Cook for around 3 minutes.
• Add in the Wine, Broth, Worcestershire Sauce, and Flour. Let this sauce thicken at a slow simmer.

• Place the filling into a casserole dish, and cover with the Mashed Potatoes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese, and Paprika. 
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the top becomes a little crisped.

• Plate and Enjoy!

Commence my relaxation zone… A true comfort food of mine, and had I had lamb it'd make a delicious Shepherds Pie!

I really wanted to make this for myself, and not so much for the book Eragon, but it has a perfect connection - comfort in time of stress. Eragon braved many challenges, and high-stress situations before he reached a sanctuary where true meals were back in order. I find that meals really do bring about a certain sense of calm in us after a rough day.

It's almost like going overseas, or to another country and eating their food for a week. The one thing you can't wait to have when you arrive back home is something cooked from your own kitchen. (Or at least that's how I feel!)

So to Eragon and Saphira - I make a meal to help relieve your stress, just as much as my own. 

Till Friday folks! <3