Lucked out and found ground lamb at the local Wegmans. It was amazingly lean and smelled delicious. If you aren’t a fan of lamb, I am sure ground beef would work just fine.
For the “gravy”, I used 1/2c Merlot, 1.5c chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp tomato paste (my daughter tried to make a Cottage Pie and didn’t like the sauce because it was too “tomato-y”.. I think this one turned out perfect so I am definitely sharing it with her) – Herbs: dried thyme and fresh rosemary, chopped garlic, freshly ground black pepper.
The recipe called for onions, carrots, and celery but I sort of had a “picture” in my head so I used frozen mixed vegetables??? not just laziness on my part because I knew what I wanted it to taste like.
Used cornstarch mixed with water to thicken but also let everything simmer while the potatoes were cooking.
Mashed 3 medium potatoes with milk and Mexican blend shredded cheese
The lamb mixture on the bottom, topped with the potato mixture and then a sprinkling of more shredded cheese
400-degree oven for 30 minutes
Turned out wonderful – not too soupy and the top had a nice crunch.