These delicious gluten free mini cottage pies have been totally inspired by Chris Collins, blogger and the man behind the fabulous recipe website Don’t Go Bacon My Heart.
As you know, most of the recipes that I share are simply gluten free takes on things that I enjoyed pre-coeliac days, or something I see and think WOW, I must make a gluten free version! The latter being the case for these glorious, gluten free pastry filled, mini cottage pies.
My take on these cottage pies, although VERY yummy is basic. Should you fancy jazzing things up, I highly recommend you check out Chris’s original recipe here. You would then of course need to make all the necessary ingredient swaps to ensure your finished pies are gluten free.
These dinky, pastry encased cottage pies, filled with perfectly seasoned mince beef & onions, topped with a satisfying swirl of buttery mash, which browns in all the right places when baked, would make the most welcome treat to pass around when your favourite people drop by. Do make plenty!!
Ingredients (makes 18)
Gluten free shortcrust pastry
Click here for the recipe
Minced beef filling
500g (1lb 2oz) minced beef
1 large brown onion, diced
1 large carrot, grated
1 gluten free beef stock cube
Gluten free gravy granule/mix of your choice (I use Bisto gluten free granules)
*Salt and *pepper to season
Mashed potato topping
830g (1lb 13oz) peeled weight, King Edward or any floury potato, peeled and cut into even size pieces
50g (2oz) butter
*Salt and *white pepper to season
Method
Brown the mince off in a large pan, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking, and also to break it down. I don’t add oil, however, if you find the mince is sticking, then of course pour in a drop.
Add the diced onion and cook out for a few minutes before adding the grated carrot. Cook for a couple more minutes.
Crumble in the stock cube, stir to coat everything in the pan and cook out for a minute or so, before pouring in enough boiling water to ‘just’ cover the mince. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer before popping a lid on. Cook for 25 minutes. Keep checking the pan, the water will reduce. Only add more boiling water if you feel it’s getting too dry, as you don’t want to dilute the flavour or end up with too much liquid.
Whilst the mince is cooking, place the prepared potatoes into a large pan, cover with cold water and pop a lid on. Place on the heat, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until a knife slips easily through the potatoes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully drain off all the water. Add the butter and mash until nice and smooth. Season to taste, cover and set to one side to cool for around 30 minutes.
Once the mince has cooked, skim off any excess fat you see. Then gradually add enough gluten free gravy mix until the gravy coats the mince. I wouldn’t expect you to need much more than 1 heaped tablespoonful of gravy mix, but see how you go. The mince should be spooning consistency and not too runny. Season to taste, cover and set to one side to cool for around 30 minutes.
Transferring the mince into a clean dish will speed up the cooling process. The mince can be prepared a day in advance, and once cooled covered and stored in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6/180C Fan.
Grease the amount of muffin tins you need. Cut thin strips of greaseproof paper (approx 14cm x 1½cm) and secure them across the centre of each muffin tin hole. This makes lifting the bakes pies out an absolute doddle! Thanks to Laura, of My Gluten Free Guide for this marvellous spot of game changing inspiration.
Make the gluten free pastry and divide it into two. Lightly dust a clean worktop with gluten free plain/all purpose flour and roll out the first piece. Using a pastry cutter, measuring approximately 9cm, cut out the bases for the pies. Gently lift each piece and place over each muffin tin hole and ease/slide into place. Patch up any gaps you see, either by pressing the pastry together or patching up with bits of pastry. Repeat with the second piece of pastry. Squish together any scraps of pastry and roll out again. Keep going until it’s all used up.
Fill each pastry base with a dessertspoonful of mince.
Fill a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle with mashed potato (you can instead simply spoon the mash over the mince) and pipe a swirl of potato over the mince.
Slip the pies into the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the potato turns golden brown and the minced beef is piping hot. For even browning, you may need to turn the tray a couple of times in-between.
Once baked, remove the pies from the oven. Leave to stand for 5 minutes or so before tucking in! Enjoy won’t you x
Recipe notes and suggestions:
Whilst it’s fine to prepare the mince a day in advance (in fact the cooler the filling the better) the pies once assembled are best eaten freshly baked.
As the minced beef and potatoes are reheated when baked, should you wish to freeze the pies, you’ll need to do it before baking for the first time. I trialled this; I froze the unbaked pies in the muffin tins and then removed them and placed them into freezer bags. If you find the pies have stuck a little, leave them for no more than half an hour. After this time, you should find it much easer to remove them from the tin. To bake the pies from frozen, preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5/170C Fan and bake for 30 minutes, until the potato topping is golden brown and the minced beef is piping hot.
If you spoon the mash onto the pies rather than piping it on, you may find yourself with leftover mash. This can be used to rustle up yummy gluten free potato cakes if you like.
These delicious pies need no addition to make them shine. But I can tell you from experience, they are also pretty magnificent when topped with grated cheese part way through baking and served up with baked beans!
Thanks for checking out this gluten free mini cottage pie recipe. You really must give these a go, as I just know you’re going to love them!!
And again credit and thanks for the original recipe that I adapted to make gluten free must go to Chris Collins.
For now,
Liz x
*Check this product to ensure that there are no gluten containing ingredients, ‘may contain’ or ‘not suitable’ for a coeliac/gluten free diet warnings on the pack.
