Right, so cottage pie. It’s one of those things, isn’t it? Proper comfort food. I make it, the family eats it, usually no complaints. But for ages, it just felt a bit… naked on the plate. You know? Just this slab of meat and spuds. Good, but lonely.
I remember this one time, ages ago, I’d made a massive cottage pie. Had friends over, the lot. And I just plonked it down. Someone, I think it was old Dave, squinted at his plate and said, ‘Anything… green coming?’ Bit of a cheek, but he had a point. Since then, I’ve been on a bit of a mission, a quiet one, mind you, to figure out what actually goes with the stuff.
First off, the usual suspects. Peas. Can’t go wrong with peas, can you? Well, you can if you boil them to death until they’re grey mush. Done that. Learnt my lesson. Now it’s quick blanch, bit of butter, sorted. Same with carrots. Sometimes I’ll just boil ‘em, sometimes I’ll roast them with a bit of honey if I’m feeling fancy. But honestly, sometimes even that feels a bit… predictable.
Then I went through a phase. Thought I was a right gourmet. Tried to do a fancy green salad. You know, with leaves and dressing and all that. Total disaster. The hot pie just wilts everything. Looked a right mess. Tasted like warm, soggy disappointment. So, salads are out, mostly, unless it’s a really sturdy one, served completely separate.
Here’s what I’ve sort of settled on, through trial and, let me tell you, plenty of error:
- Steamed green beans. Simple. Get some nice fresh ones, steam ‘em till they’re just tender but still got a bit of a snap. Sometimes I’ll toss ‘em with a tiny bit of garlic butter. They add a bit of freshness, cut through the richness of the pie.
- Braised red cabbage. This one’s a bit more effort, not gonna lie. But man, it’s good. Sweet and sour, a bit spicy if you bung some cloves in. The colour looks great next to the pie too. Makes it feel a bit more special. I usually make a big batch and it lasts a few days.
- Roasted root veg. Parsnips, carrots, maybe some swede if I can be bothered to peel it. Chop ‘em up, bit of oil, salt, pepper, into the oven. Easy. They get all sweet and a bit crispy.
- And you know what? Sometimes, just a load of crusty bread. To mop up all that lovely gravy. Can’t beat it. Forget the fancy veg, just give me bread.
It’s funny, innit? You spend all this time making the main event, the cottage pie, and then you gotta think about all the other bits. It’s like, when’s it ever simple? I remember trying to explain this to my nephew when he was learning to cook. He just wanted to make the pie. Didn’t get why he needed ‘other stuff’. He gets it now, after a few too many plain pie dinners.
So yeah, that’s my two cents. It’s not rocket science, just what I’ve found works for me after making a fair few cottage pies in my time. The key is, don’t overthink it, but don’t ignore it either. A lonely cottage pie is a sad cottage pie.
