French Onion Cottage Pie

The combination of chunks of stewing beef with French onion soup mix, thyme, and apple juice, slow cooked until melt-in-the-mouth tender gives this cottage pie a wonderfully rich flavor with just a hint of sweetness. Topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked until golden brown, it's the kind of meal that feels like a warm hug on a chilly day.

Red meat isn't something which we eat in this house very often. Not only has it become very expensive as of late, but its not that good for you. They did have stewing beef on special at Sobey's recently, so I stocked up. The other night I made this French Onion Cottage Pie for supper using some of it, and I have to say it was fabulous. I did start it the night before by using my slow cooker to cook the beef overnight so that it was fork tender, and the gravy was absolutely delicious. I just used the method etc. that I normally use to do a pot roast in the slow cooker. It worked out really well.

The meat cooks in a mix of dry onion soup mix and apple juice, along with some dried thyme. You can use water instead of the apple juice if you wish, but the apple juice really gives it a lovely flavor. You can use half apple juice and half water if you are not sure. I think the apple juice helps to tenderize the beef. Not sure, but I know that I like it! ☺You thicken the gravy once the meat it tender and then pour it into a casserole dish. I top it with carrots, peas and corn, which I cook myself, but you could also use mixed frozen vegetables if you wanted to, or in a pinch . . . drained canned mixed vegetables. I like to cook my own from scratch.A Parmesan Cheese flavoured buttery mash tops it off before you pop it into the oven. You bake it until it is golden brown on top with scrummy little bits (that I love) and the filling is bubbling up underneath. The whole thing is scrumptious. SCRUMPTIOUS!

INGREDIENTS NEEDEDTO MAKE🥘💛FRENCH ONION COTTAGE PIE🥘💛

Simple ingredients. Simple cooking methods. Delicious results.
For the meat:

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 envelope (4 serving size) dry French onion soup mix
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups (675ml) of apple juice (or water, or a mix)
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBS flour shaken together with 120ml (1/2 cup) cold water until smooth

For the vegetables:

3 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 large mug each of frozen peas and frozen corn

For the potato thatch:

4 large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (something like a russett)
1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 - 90 ml) of warm milk
3 TBS finely grated parmesan cheese
1 TBS butter
salt and black pepper to taste
butter to dot (optional)

🥘💛INGREDIENTS NOTES🥘💛

Beef Stew MeatThe perfect choice for slow cooking. As it simmers the beef becomes beautifully tender and develops a rich, hearty flavor that makes this cottage pie pure comfort food.

Dry French Onion Soup MixThis is the secret ingredient that gives the filling its incredible savoury depth. Packed with onion flavor and seasonings, it creates a rich gravy without a lot of fuss.
Dried ThymeA classic herb pairing for both beef and onions. It adds an earthy note that enhances all the other flavors without overpowering them.

Apple JuiceA bit unconventional I know, but it adds a delicate sweetness that balances the savoury onion flavours and helps to create a rich and delicious gravy. Don't worry the end result isn't fruity, but if you wish you could subtitute water in it's place.
Floury PotatoesFloury potatoes such as russets mash up light ad fluffy, making them ideal for creating that golden, crispy topping.
Warm MilkWarm milk helps to create smooth, creamy mashed potatoes without cooling the mixture down.
Parmesan CheeseAdds a savoury, slightly nutty flavor to the topping and helps it to brown beautifully in the oven.
ButterButter enriches the mashed potatoes and contributes to that irresistible golden finsih.

🥘💛HOW TO MAKE FRENCH ONION COTTAGE PIE🥘💛
You do need to start this the night before by braising the beef in the slow cooker/crock pot. You could also do this in the oven if you would rather.

Place the stew beef in the slow cooker along with the soup mix, thyme and apple juice or water. Cook on low for 8 hours/overnight. (Alternately you could put everything into a casserole dish with a lid and then oven braise it in a slow oven for several hours until tender.)
The next day, scoop out the meat and place into a four serving size shallow casserole/baking dish. (My casserole was 8 by 12 inches in size, 3 inches deep. Leave the juices in the crock pot so you can thicken them.)
Whisk the flour/water mix into the juices in the pot and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Pour over the meat in the casserole dish. (This is your gravy.)
Cook the carrots in lightly salted boiling water until almost tender. Add the peas and corn for the last couple of minutes. Drain well. Spread the vegetables over the meat in the casserole dish. (You could use canned veggies if you wanted to, or all frozen. Mixed veggies are nice.)
Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water to cover until fork tender.
Drain well and return the potatoes to the saucepan. Mash well with enough warm milk and the butter to give you the right consistency for spreading over the casserole filling. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. (You want them to be able to hold their shape and stand up a bit. You don't want them to be loose and pasty.)
Taste and adjust seasoning before spreading over top of the casserole to cover the meat and the vegetables. Rough up the top with the tines of a fork. Dot with a bit of butter if desired. (I just run a fork at alternate intervals to create a bit of a basket weave. You can rough them up whichever way you wish.)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Once the oven is hot place the casserole dish on top of a baking tray. (This will help to prevent a mess if the gravy boils over into the oven.)
Bake in the heated oven until the filling is bubbling and the top of the cottage pie is golden brown. (About 35 to 40 minutes) Let stand five minutes before spooning out to serve. Delicious!

🥘💛HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS 🥘💛

Brown the beef first if you have the timeWhile this recipe works well and is delicious as is, if you have the time you can brow the beef before adding it to the slow cooker. This will give the filling an even deeper flavor and richer color.Choose the right potatoesMake sure you use a floury potato such as a Russet, King Edward, or Maris Peer. You want a potato that will turn floury and fluffy, not one that comes out waxy. Don't skip the seasoningsA well seasoned dish, the potatoes and the meat makes all the difference in the world. Taste, taste, taste and adjust seasoning as required.Create lots of texture on topUsing a fork to rough up the potatoes a bit before baking. All those little ridges will turn beautifully golden and crisp in the oven.
A little extra butter never hurtsDotting the top with a few small pieces of butter before baking creates an extra-golden, beautifully browned finish.

🥘💛COOKS NOTES🥘💛

The secret to this cottage pie is patience Lowm slow cooking allows the beef to become fork tender and gives the French onion flavours tine to develop into a rich, comforting gravy. Combined with the cheesy mashed potato topping, it's the sort of meal that warms you from the inside out and tastes even better on a chilly autumn afternoon.
We enjoyed this with a nice tossed salad on the side. For heartier eaters you could add some crusty bread to help mop up all the gravy!

🥘💛A FEW OTHER COMFORT FOOD RECIPES TO ENJOY🥘💛 Here are a few other comfort food recipes to have up your sleeve. I've never had anyone turn any of these down! ROASTED SAUSAGE AND POTATO SUPPER - For this dish sausages, potatoes, onions and peppers roast in a baking dish along with some white wine, herbs and seasonings. It makes just the right amount for two people and is a Mary Berry recipe. Tender juicy sausages and veggies, along with some grainy mustard for serving. It's delicious! It can easily be multiplied to serve more.COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY - Fabulously fruity and rich, andis not overly spicy. It really boasts some beautiful flavors, and is an excellent recipe to use if you are wanting to introduce someone to curry dishes. A way to wet their whistle so to speak! It uses the zest and juice of a fresh orange. It really is delicious.
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Yield: 4 to 6Author: Marie Rayner

Cook time: 40 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 45 Min

This is delicious. You cook the meat in the slow cooker overnight until it is fork tender. Thicken the gravy the next day, pile it into a baking dish, top with some cooked veg and mash and, after a quick bake in the oven, a delicious dinner is served.

Ingredients

For the meat:

1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 envelope (4 serving size) dry French onion soup mix
1/2 tsp dried thyme
3 cups (675ml) of apple juice (or water, or a mix)
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBS flour shaken together with 120ml (1/2 cup) cold water until smooth

For the vegetables:

3 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 large mug each of frozen peas and frozen corn

For the potato thatch:

4 large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (something like a russett)
1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 - 90 ml) of warm milk
3 TBS finely grated parmesan cheese
1 TBS butter
salt and black pepper to taste
butter to dot (optional)

Instructions

Place the stew beef in the slow cooker along with the soup mix, thyme and apple juice or water. Cook on low for 8 hours/overnight.
The next day, scoop out the meat and place into a four serving size shallow casserole/baking dish.
Whisk the flour/water mix into the juices in the pot and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Pour over the meat in the casserole dish.
Cook the carrots in llightly salted boiling water until almost tender. Add the peas and corn for the last couple of minutes. Drain well. Spread the vegetables over the meat in the casserole dish.
Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water to cover until fork tender.
Drain well and return the potatoes to the saucepan. Mash well with enough warm milk and the butter to give you the right consistency for spreading over the casserole filling. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Taste and adjust seasoning before spreading over top of the casserole to cover the meat and the vegetables. Rough up the top with the tines of a fork. Dot with a bit of butter if desired.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Once the oven is hot place the casserole dish on top of a baking tray.
Bake in the heated oven until the filling is bubbling and the top of the cottage pie is golden brown. (About 35 to 40 minutes) Let stand five minutes before spooning out to serve. Delicious!

Notes

The leftovers warmed up in a skillet the day after were (believe it or not) even more scrumptious

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