Tater Tot Cottage Pie

Tater Tot Cottage Pie has the same amazing filling as traditional Cottage Pie. Rather than using the classic mashed potato, I topped this one-dish wonder with everyone's favorite - Tater Tots. Prepare to be amazed with this budget-friendly dish!

Cottage Pie versus Shepherd's Pie versus Tater Tot Cottage Pie

It’s not unusual for the terms Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie to be used synonymously. Technically, however, they are different.

Both Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie are British dishes. They involve meat and vegetables cooked in a savory gravy and topped with mashed potatoes. However, the one difference between them is the meat used. Cottage Pie uses beef, while shepherd’s Pie uses lamb.

The name “Cottage Pie” originally was used for a pie made with any meat and mashed potatoes by peasants who lived in cottages. Over time, the “any type of meat” was replaced with beef.

Shepherd’s Pie is so named because shepherds take care of sheep!

Enter Tater Tot Cottage Pie! One of the time-consuming parts of a traditional Cottage Pie is making the mashed potatoes and then topping the meat filling with them. But who doesn't love tater tots? I know that we do.

Therefore, I thought, why not take the lazy approach and use Tater Tots for the topping? It was quick, easy, and absolutely amazing!

However, if you would like a more classic Cottage Pie, check out my delicious recipe for Make-Ahead Cottage Pie.

Ingredients for Meat Mixture

Because it's a Tater Tot Cottage Pie, the main ingredient is Tater Tots. However, the other main ingredient is ground beef. 

• Ground Beef: I like to use lean ground beef. For this particular dish, I used 93% ground beef, but you could also use 85% ground beef.
• Gravy: I use low-sodium beef broth or chicken broth for the gravy. Both work well, depending on what I have on hand. To enhance the savory flavor, I add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and Dijon mustard to the broth.
• Olive Oil or Butter: Regardless of the type of beef that I use, I always drain it well after browning. Therefore, I add a bit of olive oil or butter to sauté the onions and carrots.
• Vegetables: I use chopped onions, chopped carrots, frozen green peas for the vegetables.
• Seasonings: The seasonings are minimal - just salt and pepper.
• Thickener: I use all-purpose flour as a thickener of the gravy. I've also used Bisto original gravy powder as a thickener. While Bisto is readily available in the UK, it's sometimes hard to find in the US. The flour works just as well!

Making the Meat Filling

1. The first thing I did was whisk together the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, Dijon mustard. I set this aside to concentrate on the ground beef.

2. Next, I browned the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When the ground beef was browned, I transferred it to a colander and rinsed it well with hot water. This is something that I've been doing for years.

I know that some people would be horrified by this, saying that I'm rinsing away all of the flavor of the ground beef. Actually, what I'm rinsing away is all of the fat! It is the remaining ingredients that actually flavor the dish.

3. While the ground beef was draining, I sautéd the onions and carrots in a little butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

4. Then, I returned the ground beef to the skillet with the onions and carrots. I like for my ground beef to be broken up into small pieces. Therefore, as I returned the ground beef to the skillet, I rubbed hand-fulls between my hands. This is also something that I've doing for years. Once all of the ground beef was back in the pan, I stirred to combine everything. 

5. Next, I added the flour, salt and pepper. I again stirred to combine everything. Then, I let the mixture cook for several minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.

6. After that, I added the beef broth mixture. I brought the meat filling to a boil, stirring often. Finally, I covered the skillet, reduced the heat to medium low and cooked the filling for about 45 minutes until the vegetables were tender.

Finishing the Tater Tot Cottage Pie

The final addition to the meat filling was frozen green peas. I added them, and stirred to combine everything. The peas didn't need any cooking at this point. The reason was that they would be cooked in the final stages of the Tater Tot Cottage Pie.

I transferred the filling to a casserole dish that I had sprayed with non-stick spray.

Then, I evened out the mixture. Finally, I topped the meat filling with frozen Tater Tots. There is no need to thaw the Tater Tots for this dish - they'll cook in the oven.

I popped the Tater Tot Cottage Pie into a preheated 450°F oven for 35 minutes. The reason for using such a high temperature was that 450°F was the recommended temperature for cooking the Tater Tots.

After 35 minutes, the mixture was bubbly and the Tater Tots were golden brown.

Using Tater Tots in place of mashed potatoes on this cottage pie was a huge success. It significantly cut down on the preparation time. What's more important, however, was that the Tater Tot Cottage Pie was awesome. Yum!

What To Serve With Tater Tot Cottage Pie

In a way, Tater Tot Cottage Pie is a meal in and of itself. After all, it has meat, vegetables and potatoes all in one dish! Therefore, the sides are really incidental to the meal.

Because the Master Taste Tester likes Brussel sprouts, I often serve them with the dish. In the winter time, I like to serve collard greens. At other times, a light salad or steamed broccoli goes well with the Tater Tot Cottage Pie.

Finally, I sometimes serve crusty French bread with it.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• I like to use low sodium beef broth in this recipe. However, I sometimes use chicken broth rather than beef broth if that's what I have on hand.
• I used 93% ground beef, but you could also use 85% ground beef.
• I know that rinsing the cooked ground beef removes some of the beef flavor. However, it also removes most of the grease. You could certainly skip this step.
• I like my ground beef to be broken up into small pieces. Therefore, I typically rub the cooked ground beef between my hands when I'm returning it to the pan.
• The leftovers are just as good the next day. I generally heat the leftovers in the microwave.

Recipe