Guinness Beef Cottage Pie

Guinness Beef Cottage Pie is a delicious and comforting meal. Tender seared beef and a plethora of vegetables in a savory herb and Guinness gravy is topped with Dubliner mashed potatoes. Serve with Irish brown bread or soda bread (linked below).

Comfort food at its finest.

If you’re wanting to make something other than corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day, might I suggest this incredibly comforting Guinness beef cottage pie? This one-pan dream meal consists of browned bottom round roast simmers with carrots, onions, celery and garlic in a rich and flavorful Guinness gravy before being topped with Dubliner mashed potatoes. Once heated through, I like to slip this under the broiler for a few to get the cheesy mashed potatoes golden and crispy.

Serve with a simple salad and bread of your choice.

To Make This Guinness Beef Cottage Pie You Will Need:

• mashed potatoes – Use leftover or freshly made mashed potatoes.
• olive oil – One that is safe for high temperature cooking or substitute with avocado oil.
• bottom round roast – A lean cut of beef that is best for braising or cooking low and slow.
• steak seasoning – Use one you like. I prefer Kinder’s.
• unsalted butter – Lends fat and flavor or sautéing vegetables.
• carrots – Adds color and subtle sweetness.
• celery – Lends earthy flavor and subtle texture.
• yellow onion – Adds a sweet and subtle onion flavor.
• garlic – Adds distinct punchy flavor.
• kosher salt – Softens vegetables while sautéing and enhances flavors in this recipe.
• tomato paste – Lends complex tomato flavor.
• thyme (fresh) – Lends an earthy, slightly minty and lemony flavor.
• rosemary (fresh) – Adds a pine-like or woodsy flavor with notes of  lemon, pepper and sage.
• Guinness stout beer – Adds rich flavor and also helps tenderizer for the beef as it cooks.
• beef stock – Use fat-free homemade or high-quality store-bought stock.
• tapioca flour (finely ground) – A great gluten-free thickener.
• freshly ground black pepper – Adds some subtle bite and flavor.
• green peas – No need to thaw, just throw them in and they will thaw and heat through in minutes.
• snipped chives or minced parsley – For garnishing before serving (optional).

What Is Dubliner Cheese?

Dubliner is a popular Irish cow’s milk cheese produced in County Cork. It is aged for over 12 months, and is a hard, mature cheese that combines the sharpness of cheddar, the nuttiness of Swiss, and the subtle sweetness of Parmesan. Dubliner has robust flavor and is great for melting.

Sear The Beef:

Preheat your oven to 350°F (or 180°C).

In a 10 to 12-inch deep skillet, add 1½ tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, add the 2 pounds of diced bottom round roast to a bowl.

Season with 2 tablespoons steak seasoning.

Toss well to coat.

Once the pan and oil are hot, work in batches, searing the seasoned beef for 3 to 4 minutes.

Brown on all sides.

Note: I do my best to sear all sides, but about half way through I’m over it. So just do your best!

Transfer the browned beef to a clean bowl and repeat with the remaining pieces of seasoned roast, adding more oil as needed.

Prep The Veggies:

Meanwhile, dice 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of yellow onion and 1/2 cup of celery. Mince 4 cloves of garlic, and 1 tablespoon each fresh thyme and rosemary.

Make the Filling:

Once the roast has been seared, reduce heat to medium and add in 1 tablespoons butter.

Next add in the carrot, onion and celery with a pinch of kosher salt. Stir and cook until tender, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the vegetables cook.

Once tender, add in 1 tablespoon tomato paste and the minced garlic, thyme and rosemary.

Stir and cook for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 3/4 cup of beef stock with 1 tablespoon tapioca powder.

Ad the browned beef back into the pan.

Pour in the broth/tapioca mixture.

And then pour in 3/4 cup of Guinness.

Stir well to combine.

Cover and slide onto the middle rack of your preheated oven and cook 1 hour, stirring once halfway through.

Once braised, remove and uncover. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Add in 3/4 cup of green peas.

Stir once more to combine.

While the filling is braising in the oven, make or reheat mashed potatoes.

How To Make Mashed Potatoes:

Wash 2 pounds russet potatoes, cut into sixths (I left the peel on) and place in a pot. Fill the pot with cold water covering the potatoes by 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium to medium high and cook until fork tender – about 20 to 25 minutes.

Drain the potatoes, leaving them in the pot. Then add in the 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup half &  half, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and let sit on the stovetop with the burner off for 10 to 15 minutes. Then use a masher to smash the potatoes in with the butter and half & half. Mash until you’ve reached a desired consistency – adding more half & half if needed. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the cheese will add additional saltiness.

Once hot, add in 2 ounces of the grated Dubliner cheese and stir well until melted.

Top the beef filling with the mashed potatoes.

Spread evenly so the mashed potatoes touch the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining dubliner cheese and bake for an additional 20 minutes. For more color, move the pan up to the highest position in your oven and broil for 1 to 2 minutes.

Note: If there are any gaps or holes, the filling will bubble up and spill onto the top of the mashed potatoes – as you can see below, this happened to me. This doesn’t bother me and can happen from time to time.

Once golden, remove and sprinkle with snipped fresh chives or minced parsley.

Scoop into bowls and serve immediately.

Serve with sliced Irish brown bread or soda bread.

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Enjoy! And if you give this Guinness Beef Cottage Pie recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!