French onion cottage pie
Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Stuart West
French onion cottage pie
All the lovely caramelised flavours of a traditional French onion soup add an extra level of comfort to this crowd-pleasing cottage pie. Gruyère breadcrumbs are inspired by the classic cheesy croutes to give a golden, crunchy topping. Serve with peas or greens of your choice
Serves: 6
Prep time: 45 minsTotal time: 
See more recipes
Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
721Kcal
Fat
32gr
Saturates
15gr
Carbs
64gr
Sugars
18gr
Fibre
8gr
Protein
33gr
Salt
1.1gr
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our Senior Food Producer. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500g beef mince (we used 12% fat)
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1½ tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 250ml red wine
- 350ml beef stock (using ½ stock cube)
- 50g Gruyère, grated
- 25g breadcrumbs (from slightly stale bread)
For the caramelised onions
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 40g butter
- 4 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 3 thyme sprigs, leaves chopped
For the mash
- 1.25kg floury potatoes
- 100ml milk
- 30g butter
- 50g Gruyère, grated
Step by step
Get ahead
Prep to the end of step 7, cooling the filling and mash separately before assembling. Cover and chill up to 24 hours ahead, or freeze and defrost before baking. Cook for an extra 15 minutes from chilled, or until piping hot throughout.
- Begin with the caramelised onions; heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan or saucepan then stir in the onions with a good pinch of salt. Cook over a fairly high heat for 8-10 minutes until starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Add the sugar and thyme then reduce the heat to low and cook the onions gently for 35-45 minutes until very soft and caramelised. Set the onions aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan or casserole and fry the mince over a medium-high heat until well browned, breaking it up as you go. Set aside on a plate.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan, reduce the heat and cook the carrots and celery for 10 minutes to soften, adding the garlic for the final 2 minutes. Mix in the flour, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring. Return the beef to the pan, pour in the wine and reduce by half.
- Add the stock and some seasoning, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until the gravy has thickened.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.
- For the mash, peel the potatoes and chop into large chunks then put in a large saucepan. Cover with cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry for a couple of minutes. Mash well with the milk and butter, then stir in the cheese. Season well.
- Remove the pie filling from the heat, stir in the caramelised onions and check the seasoning to taste. Spoon the mixture into an ovenproof dish, around 2 litres capacity, and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before topping with the mash to cover (or see ‘Get ahead’). Mix the grated Gruyère with the breadcrumbs and scatter over the top of the pie.
- Place on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes or until crisp and golden brown on top, and piping hot throughout.
