Low Carb Shepherd's Pie – Cottage Pie

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 2 ½ kg cauliflower with greens, cleaned yields approx. 1.75 kg
• 1 large onion(s)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 stalk(s) Celery
• 3 large carrots
• 300 g peas, frozen
• 500 g minced beef or lamb
• 30 g butter
• 250 g cheese, ideally real Cheddar
• 300 g double cream cheese
• 200 ml beef stock or beef broth
• 100 g tomato paste
• 8 dashes Worcestershire sauce, optional
• 6 dashes Tabasco or 3 tsp hot pepper flakes
• Thyme, dried
• Rosemary, dried
• nutmeg
• 3 tbsp oil for frying
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 10 minutes

slim version with cauliflower puree instead of potatoes

Fill a large pot almost halfway with salted water and bring to a boil with the lid on. Clean the cauliflower and divide it into florets, then simmer in salted water for about 20 minutes until soft. In the meantime, finely chop the onions and garlic, chop the carrots using a food processor (coarse disk) or dice them very finely, chop the celery stalks using the coarse disk or cut them into small pieces, and grate the cheese (the coarse disk helps here too). Drain the cauliflower thoroughly and puree it while it’s still hot. This is easiest with a food processor (fine disk) or an immersion blender, or you can use a manual potato ricer in a pinch. Mix the puree with the butter and cream cheese, season generously with nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and season to taste. Set aside. Preheat oven to 180°C (fan). Heat oil in a pan. Sauté the onions, celery, and carrots in the pot until the onions are translucent. Add the ground beef, frozen peas, and garlic and fry until the meat is browned. Stir in the beef stock and tomato paste. Season with plenty of salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, Worcestershire sauce (if desired), and Tabasco or red pepper flakes, and simmer uncovered for a few minutes. Cover the bottom and sides of a baking dish with the cauliflower purée (2-3 cm thick). Spoon the filling from the pan into the center of the dish, spread with the remaining purée (for a particularly attractive finish, you can use a piping bag), and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, let cool briefly, then garnish with rosemary and thyme and serve. I recommend a good single malt whiskey as an aperitif; an Irish stout or English beer goes well with the pie. Note: This recipe is a potato-free, low-carb version of the Anglo-Irish classic “Shepherd’s Pie”—that’s what the dish is called when using ground lamb. These days, cottage pie usually means “with ground beef.” The portions are designed for a hearty appetite. Tip: For a vegetarian alternative, replace the meat with black beans and brown mushrooms, and the beef stock with vegetable broth.