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Cottage Pie

Name: Cottage Pie
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: For the meat; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 2 stalks celery, finely chopped; 2 carrots, diced; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 1/2 lbs ground beef; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 3 -4 drops Worcestershire sauce; 3 -4 drops Tabasco sauce; 1 cup red wine; 1 cup beef stock or 1 cup chicken stock; salt & freshly ground black pepper; For the topping; 3 lbs potatoes; 1/4 cup milk; 2 tablespoons mature cheddar cheese, grated; 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Cottage Pie reads umami 6.5, richness 4.9 and salinity 4.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a British main, about 1 hr 10 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.7 / 10
Sour & Bright — 4.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.2 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.5 · Richness 4.9 · Salinity 4.0 · Sourness 3.9 · Heat 3.9 · Allium 3.4 · Sweetness 3.2 · Funk & Ferment 3.1 · Earthy 2.2 · Bitterness 1.9 · Fruity 1.9 · Herbaceous 1.6 · Nutty 1.2 · Warm Spice 1.0 · Floral 0.9 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (18)

For the meat
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 -4 drops Worcestershire sauce
3 -4 drops Tabasco sauce
1 cup red wine
1 cup beef stock or 1 cup chicken stock
salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the topping
3 lbs potatoes
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons mature cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Time & effort: about 1 hr 10 min (5 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 202.9 kcal, 5.4 g protein, 1.9 g fat, 41.1 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, celery and carrot, stirring them over a brisk heat but not allowing them to brown.
After 5 minutes or so add the garlic, reduce the heat and soften everything together.
Increase the heat again and add the ground beef, stirring until browned.
Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, wine and stock, season and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Boil the potatoes until soft and mash them with the milk until smooth and creamy.
Spoon the meat mixture into a gratin dish and cover with a thick, even layer of mashed potato.
Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45-55 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with seasonal vegetables.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Lomo a la Chorrillana — Peruvian
Texas Hash — Tex-Mex
Tallarín Saltado de Pollo — Peruvian
Cajun Meatloaf with Tomato Gravy — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Sausage and Kale White Bean Stew — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.