OK, I have a really funny story about Rose & Crown’s Cottage Pie.
When I was tiny and my parents took us to Disney World, we ate “in England” (I know it’s the UK, but back then we just called it England) at Epcot’s Rose and Crown Pub and Dining Room. My big brother ordered the Cottage Pie and fell in love with it! My dad got the recipe and made the dish at home.
Well, my palate had not yet expanded to include Cottage Pie, and I refused to eat it! (Can you imagine?!) I was sent to bed without dinner, and apparently I learned my lesson! 😉
Luckily, my taste buds have matured…and I’m excited to share the recipe for this dish with you today! Like everything else on the menu, the Cottage Pie has an authentic flavor that reminds me of home cooked food of the British Isles.
Cottage Pie at Rose and Crown
But if you can’t make it across the pond, no worries — we have an easy recipe that you can make right at home!
Disney World’s Rose and Crown Restaurant Cottage Pie Recip
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup diced onion
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground savory (Yeah, I don’t know what this is, either. Check here for substitutions.)
1 cup brown gravy (homemade or instant)
2 cups mashed potatoes
Additional butter
Method:
1. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a 9-inch skillet.
2. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, stirring consistently.
3. Add beef, salt, pepper, and savory (or whatever you’re using instead) and continue cooking 5 minutes longer.
4. Stir in gravy and heat until bubbling.
5. Spoon into a buttered, 8-cup flat casserole dish. (My dad always used a circular dish, or you could use ramekins as they do at Rose and Crown.)
6. Top meat mixture with mashed potatoes.
7. Dot with pieces of butter.
8. Bake at 400°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned.
Will you be making this delicious dish this weekend? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
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I love this stuff, but it really hates me.
My ex and I went to dinner at the Rose and Crown for our anniversary in April, and I ordered this delicious little tater-topped jewel. Little did I know how quickly and powerfully this stuff runs through me. So, as we are sitting and enjoying some of the best views I’ve ever seen of Reflections of Earth, the urge to go suddenly calls from below. I didn’t want to give up my space or miss any of the show, though, so I held it in for the remainder of the fireworks. Likely a poor decision, but I still say it was worth it.
Anyways, nature is no longer calling – it’s banging on my door with an axe, Jack Torrance style. So I pay for dinner and limp to the restroom in the pub, which as some of you may know, is a one stall wonder. I sit down and go through what many would likely call a religious experience; flickering flashes of bright light darted through my eyes as business was being done. With that taken care of, I have to compliment Cottage Pie for helping me accomplish something I didn’t know was possible: somehow, someway, I am proud to say that I stopped up that British Pub toilet. I didn’t know it was possible to stop up a Disney toilet, but there I was, ten minutes after closing, looking around for a plunger. Finally, I leave the bathroom a humbled man, step up to the bar, and kindly ask the young man behind the counter, “I’m terribly sorry. But I think I stopped up your toilet. Do you have a plunger?”
I get a raucous guffaw of laughter from both of the men behind the counter as a response. Naturally, I joined in. The young man said from behind his snickering grin “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it. You have a nice night.”
I left Disney that night with a lot of firsts. I can happily say, though, that trying this cottage pie was my favorite of these firsts. It was rustic, filling, dare I say… moving. In many ways.
I highly recommend it! I look forward to trying to make it myself at home now. My only fear is what will follow.
I don’t know what ground savory is either but I’m from the uk and when we make cottage pie we don’t use it, just season it all well with salt n pepper. I also like too add a nice glug of Worcestershire sauce… But I don’t know if you guys have that xx
As an English person who often makes cottage pie for my family, can I suggest a few variations on the Disney recipe? A couple of dashes of Worcestershire sauce added to the meat as it cooks really deepens the flavours, and a handful of peas stirred in adds a nice sweetness and variety of texture. Also, I can’t believe that Disney don’t put shredded cheddar cheese on the top of the potato before they bake the pie, one of the best things about cottage pie is the yummy, browned cheesy topping.
I make my own version at home which I actually prefer over United Kingdom (in WDW). I just use ground beef (seasoned w/salt and pepper) mashed potatoes and cheese. It’s plain and simple.
Savory is a herb. It’s a bit, well ‘savory’. Use Thyme and a bit of pepper.
Savory has a bit of a lemony note, and pepper (mustard green type) note, sharp and bright.
Some say use sage….but I find that far to ‘sage like’ and unlike savory; sage wants to get front stage instead of hanging in the back adding subtle notes.
Savory is sometimes called “summer savory” here. The Germans call it Bohnenkraut, so if you have an ethnic section of your grocery store you could also look for that.
You can order it from Penzey’s spices or the Spice House.
http://www.penzeys.com
I actually have some growing in my garden this year!
Mel, they do put cheese on top of the potatoes before they cook the pie. I had this 20 years ago at the Rose and Crown and it became a staple in my house. At the time it was a large serving with carrots on the bottom of the dish and meat in a light gravy with potatoes and cheese on top. For a long time they served Shepard’s pie with lamb which I don’t care for so I hadn’t had it in a while. Last year I tried the new version of cottage pie and didn’t care for it. The seasoning seemed too sweet for me and was fairly dry. It is also fairly small for the cost.
The version I make at home is very simple. Ground beef cooked and drained of all fat, Lipton onion soup, Franks brown gravy mix, pepper, light soy sauce and water. I layer carrots or peas on the bottom of the dish, them meat, mashed potatoes and cheese. It quick to make and perfect to make ahead and heat up for dinner.
Even though I prefer my own version of cottage pie, I still must go to United Kingdom in Epcot every visit just for the fish and chips :)!
I love making this at home. I like the idea of adding Worcheshire sauce to it. I added some French Fried Onions to the top for a little crunch near the end of its baking.
I will definitely try this recipe as my Mom loves Shepard’s Pie and this sounds just like it. It looks quite good. I can’t help wondering if they put white pepper in the dish at the R&C? That may explain Will’s problem. I’m fine with it, but my Mom has the same problem that Will had if she eats something with white pepper and it hits her very fast, too. Just a thought. He seems to certainly have had an allergic response to something in the meal.
I will try this in 2 weeks when I return from food and wine festival. Sounds very
easy and good…
I’ve been debating on trying the Cottage Pie when we go in a few weeks, but have heard some say there are mushrooms in it?? Are there, I’m confused, the pics and recipe don’t call for them, but some say they are in there? Thx!
I like cottage pie well enough, I think I prefer it with lamb like in shepard’s pie more though. I like the “gamy” flavor of lamb & mutton. I like the suggestion of adding worchestershire sauce. I think I’ll try that next time. Peas & carrots are a must! So good! And if I make this with instant mashed potatoes I get the cheddar ones and add cheddar on top too! Mmmmmm….. maybe I’ll make this one soon! It’s making my mouth water. 🙂
I can find savory in the grocery store with the rest of the herbs and spices. Not as commonly used as it once was, it was a staple in many recipes in the Fifties. I also add Worcestershire sauce when making any browned meat concoction (or even chicken in a soup and veggie sauce in the slow cooker) and peas are a nice addition. But in our family, we leave off the cheese; we just like the potatoes plain. And the guys eat the meat. You can actually make a very meaty tasting sauce if you include mushrooms, tomatoes and green beans with a brown gravy mix and make it veg-friendly.
Sounds like it would be a good recipe to adapt to upcoming thanksgiving leftovers…YUM!
I just had this last week and it had carrots in it plus cheese on top. I could also very distinctly taste wine in the gravy or sauce.
I was just there this past Nov and I swear the menu says that timers a combination of beef and lamb, yet I see none that even mention it?
I’ve had this and it is delicious, but I prefer Shepherd’s Pie. Almost the same except for cooked peas (or peas and carrots) layered between the meat and the potatoes. It’s so easy to make at home and I like extra Worcestershire sauce in my meat mixture, so I’ve only had it once in a restaurant and that was The Rose and Crown.
Forget this recipe. I have found one that is VERY close to the Rose & Crown in Epcot. I personally do beef only so it’s really cottage pie but it’s delicious….
INGREDIENTS
4 medium russet potatoes, 2 pounds, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup half and half
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 pound ground lamb
1 pound 93% lean ground beef
1/4 cup tomato paste
5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 2/3 cup beef broth
3/4 cup frozen peas
6 ounces aged Irish cheddar cheese, grated
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-cup baking dish with cooking spray (if the dish is nonstick, do not use the nonstick spray).
In a large saucepan combine the potatoes with enough cold water to cover by 2-inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, 16 to 18 minutes; drain, and return to the saucepan. In a small saucepan heat the milk over medium-high heat until hot. Add 6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until the butter melts. Pour the milk mixture into the saucepan with the potatoes and mash until smooth; reserve.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground lamb and ground beef. Cook, breaking into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 8 to 9 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl with a slotted spoon and reserve. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet and return to the stove over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrots, and thyme; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender but not brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the lamb and beef, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Pour in the broth, bring the mixture to a boil and cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in the peas and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook 1 minute. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the filling in an even layer.
Spread the potatoes in an even layer over the cheese and with make a crosshatch design on the top with the tines of a fork. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and lightly brush the potatoes.
Transfer to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the top begins to brown, 30 to 32 minutes.
Bkc77 — Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your recipe Bkc77! This sounds delicious and I look forward to trying it.
The Shepherd’s pie at Epcot also has a pinch of nutmeg in the meat.