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Mary Berry Cottage Pie with Dauphinoise Potatoes Recipe

Mary Berry Cottage Pie with Dauphinoise Potatoes Recipe

Mary Berry's cottage pie with dauphinoise potatoes has a rich beef filling under a creamy, golden dauphinoise top — an extraordinary upgrade.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6 Portions
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 590
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Beef Filling:
  • 800 g beef mince 15–20% fat
  • 2 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 2 large onions finely chopped
  • 3 carrots finely diced
  • 3 celery sticks finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 300 ml beef stock
  • 150 ml red wine
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • Dauphinoise Topping:
  • 1.2 kg potatoes peeled and sliced 3mm thin
  • 2 garlic cloves finely sliced
  • 400 ml double cream
  • 200 ml whole milk
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 50 g Gruyère or Cheddar grated
  • Salt and white pepper

Method
 

  1. Brown mince in batches — deeply golden. Remove. Cook onion, carrots, and celery 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme. Return mince. Add tomato purée — 1 minute. Add flour — 1 minute. Add wine — bubble 2–3 minutes. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Season. Simmer partially covered 30–35 minutes until rich and thick. Remove bay leaves. Transfer to deep ovenproof dish.
  2. Warm cream, milk, garlic, thyme, salt, and white pepper in a saucepan over low heat. Add sliced potatoes — stir gently to coat. Cook 5 minutes until just beginning to soften.
  3. Preheat oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Layer cream-coated potato slices over beef filling in overlapping layers. Pour remaining cream over the top. Scatter with grated cheese.
  4. Place on a baking tray. Bake 45–55 minutes until potato is completely tender, top is golden, and filling is bubbling. Cover loosely with foil if browning too quickly.
  5. Rest 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Slice potatoes to exactly 3mm — a mandoline makes this consistent and quick.
Par-cook potatoes in warm cream for 5 minutes before layering — they finish perfectly in the oven.
Season the beef filling assertively — the creamy dauphinoise needs bold meat flavour beneath it.
Use a deep dish — the layers need space to build up properly.
Rest 10 minutes before serving — the filling settles and the potatoes firm slightly.
Make filling the day before — add dauphinoise topping fresh on the day.
Freeze assembled before baking for up to 2 months.
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