High Desert Cottage Pie

One of the best ways to immerse yourself in Central Oregon is to enjoy a completely locally sourced meal. 

Root vegetables at a farmers market. Photo by Maira Matsui.

Aside from the salt and pepper, everything in this comforting recipe, crafted and shared with us by Megan Kellner-Rode of Boundless Farmstead, could easily be sourced from this region. The High Desert Food and Farn Alliance’s Food & Farm Directory can help you to find the ingredients.

Along with being rooted in place, this recipe is incredibly flexible. You can make it vegetarian, dairy-free, or gluten-free. It can be adjusted for different seasonal vegetables. Consider adding leeks, peas, kale, and turnips to the filling, or sweet potatoes and winter squash to the mashed topping. And the spice profile can shift course. Instead of thyme and bay, try garam masala and curry spice, or rosemary and sage. 

Here’s how Megan describes the pleasure of preparing a locally sourced meal: “The excitement of eating food grown beneath the soil underfoot and tended by your neighbors. The connection of eating food that has experienced the same amount of sunshine, cold nights, hot days, rainfall, and wind gusts as I have this season. The simplicity of eating seasonal food from the pantry, the larder, the crock, the jar, without need or worry or whim to go to the grocery store. All of the nutrients I need are here, from here, for here.” 

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HIGH DESERT COTTAGE PIE

EQUIPMENT

One 12-inch skillet

SERVINGS

Four to six portions

INGREDIENTS

Filling:

• 2lbs ground beef OR 2lbs ground lamb OR 3 c cooked lentils

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 large carrots, chopped

• 1 celeriac, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp salt

Mashed topping:

• 1 lb potatoes, cubed

• 1 lb parsnips, cubed

• ½ c raw milk OR broth OR vegetable stock

• ¼ c raw butter OR lard OR oil of choice 

• 2 eggs

• Salt and pepper to taste

Gravy:

• 3 Tbsp Worcestershire 

• 1/4c Rainshadow Organics flour 

• 3 c beef/lamb/chicken bone broth OR 3 c vegetable stock 

• 2 bay leaves

• ½ tsp thyme 

• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Make Mashed Topping- 

1. Add potatoes and parsnips to pot, just cover with water, cover and boil until fork tender. About 15 to 20 minutes. 

2. Drain the water. Return vegetables to the pot. Add butter, milk, salt and pepper. Mash until smooth and taste. 

3. Mix in 2 eggs with spoon. Set aside. 

3. Make Filling-

1. In large oven safe 12 inch skillet, brown the beef with salt and pepper. Add the onions, celeriac, and carrots and saute until tender. Add garlic. 

4. For the gravy-

1. Sprinkle the flour over the filling mixture. Then add broth, worcestershire, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper. 

2. Simmer until the gravy has thickened. 

5. Assemble by spooning the mashed topping over the filling. 

6. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Enjoy!

Are you interested in sharing a locally sourced recipe with us? Email lace@colw.org.