12 Days Of Beef Dripping Recipes, Day 12

Sat Dec 12 2015

Today is the last day of our 12 Days of James Whelan Butchers Beef Dripping Recipes. So far we have given you:

These are the perfect scrumptious recipes to get your tastebuds tingling just in time for Christmas….Enjoy!

12 Days Of Beef Dripping Recipes, Day 12: Cottage Pie with Porcini Mushrooms (Serves 6)

If you are not a mushroom fan, you can leave out the porcini or replace them with some chopped pancetta or bacon.

Ingredients:

20 g dried porcini
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or Irish
rapeseed oil
1 kg minced beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
150 ml red wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 kg floury potatoes, peeled
5 tablespoons milk
a large knob of butter
75 g Hegarty’s cheddar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160° C/fan 140° C/gas mark 3.
Soak the porcini in a bowl with 400 ml boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain, reserving the liquid, and chop the porcini. Heat the oil in a casserole dish, add the mince and fry in batches until well browned. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes. Sprinkle over the flour, stir for a minute, then add the chopped tomatoes, wine, mushrooms and reserved mushroom liquid. Stir and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and cook in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the mince is tender.
Remove from the oven and stir in the thyme and Worcestershire sauce. Taste to check the seasoning. Transfer the mince into a shallow pie dish and spread out evenly. Set aside to cool while you make the topping.
Increase the oven temperature to 200° C/fan 180° C/gas mark 6.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Spread the potatoes over the mince and make ridges on the top with the tines of a fork. Sprinkle with the cheese then place in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until bubbling and golden on top.

Awarded the Great Taste Golden Fork award and named Supreme Champion at this year’s prestigious awards in London, James Whelan Beef Dripping is produced in Clonmel by Pat Whelan, a fifth generation butcher, and made from the purest suet from grass fed Irish Angus and Hereford beef, and wrapped simply in white waxed paper. These magical creamy ingots transform roast vegetables, crisp potatoes into delicious roasters and make the most perfectly golden fish and chips. The product stays fresh for up to six months, simply stored in a cool dark place.

In the words of Pat Whelan, “It’s the taste of my childhood, our Beef Dripping is nutrient rich, high in omega-3 acids, clean, pure and carries great flavour, whether for frying a steak, roasting potatoes, or spread onto good bread like lardo.” Just a spoonful of this once forgotten favourite can form part of a balanced diet and impart a rich savoury note into all manner of dishes, from roast potatoes and shortcrust pastry to the effortless indulgence of dripping on toast with a pinch of salt.

The Beef Dripping,priced €3.99, is available online at www.jameswhelanbutchers.com and from James Whelan Butchers at Clonmel, Tipperary, Avoca Food Market, Monkstown and Avoca, Rathcoole.