Cottage pie

Cottage pie refers to a British or Irish meat pie made with beef mince and with a crust made from mashed potato. A variation on this dish is known as shepherd's pie.
The term cottage pie is known to have been in use in 1791,^[1][2] when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for the poor (cf. "cottage" meaning a modest dwelling for rural workers).
In early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top.^[3][4]
The term "shepherd's pie" did not appear until the 1870s,^[2] and since then it has been used synonymously with "cottage pie", regardless of whether the principal ingredient was beef or mutton.There is now a popular tendency for "shepherd's pie" to be used when the meat is mutton or lamb,^[9] with the suggested origin being that shepherds are concerned with sheep^[10] and not cattle,^[11][12] This may, however, be an example of folk etymology.

Variations

• Though in modern day recipes it is considered standard to use mashed potato as a topping, traditionally it was served with slices of potato layered over the meat filling which, when cooked, looked like the tiles of a cottage roof. This is thought to be how the dish got its name.^{[citation needed]}

• The cumberland pie is a version with a layer of bread crumbs on top.^[13]

• A similar British dish made with fish is a fish pie.

• A vegetarian version can be made using soya or other meat substitutes (like tofu), or legumes such as lentils or chick peas.

• In Australia, the dish is often made with left-over roast lamb.^[14]

• In English-speaking Canada, the dish is referred to as shepherd's pie, even with a beef filling.

• In Argentina and Chile a similar dish is called "pastel de papa (potato pie).

• In the Dominican Republic this is called pastelón de papa (potato casserole), it has a layer of potatoes, one or two of meat, and another of potatoes, topped with a layer of cheese.

• In France, a similar dish is called hachis Parmentier.

• In Ireland the dish is commonly called shepherd's pie even when containing beef.

• In Jordan, Syria and Lebanon a similar dish is referred to as "Siniyet Batata" (literally meaning a plate of potatoes), or "Kibbet Batata".

• In Quebec, a similar dish is called pâté chinois (literally, "Chinese pie").

• In Russia, a similar dish is called "Картофельная запеканка" (Kartofel'naya zapekanka, or "potato baked pudding").

• In the United States a similar dish is called cowboy pie. In New England the most common recipe for shepherd's pie consists of ground beef, kernel corn, mashed potatoes, and cream of mushroom soup.