Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes

One of the baked potatoes with meat and vegetable filling has been cut in half, to reveal its inner structure.

5 from 3 votes

Crispy baked potatoes are filled with hearty meat and vegetables and topped with creamy mashed potatoes in these Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Mary Younkin

Ingredients

Potato Ingredients

3 pounds Yukon gold or Russet potatoes about 8 large potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ teaspoons kosher salt divided, adjust to taste
¼ cup butter room temperature
¼ cup milk
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper adjust to taste
2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese divided

Filling Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 small yellow onion diced into ¼-inch pieces, about ¾ cup
3 medium carrots diced into ¼″ pieces, about 1 cup
4 large cloves of garlic minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
½ teaspoon dried parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried basil
14 ounces petite diced tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup water or beef broth only as needed
½ cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley for serving

Instructions

Potato Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the potatoes to remove all dirt and then rinse and dry thoroughly. Poke several holes into each potato with a fork and then place them on a baking sheet.
Drizzle each potato with oil and sprinkle each potato generously with salt. Rub with your hands to coat and then place in the oven.
Bake for about an hour, until fork tender. The potatoes should be crisp on the outside and tender inside.
Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Slice the top off of each potato (about ¾ of the way up) and scoop out most of the potato center. Be sure to leave a thin wall of potato along each skin to keep the potatoes sturdy.
Place the removed potato portions into a large bowl. Then, add the butter, milk, half of the cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to the bowl. Mash together and taste the potatoes. Adjust the salt and/or pepper, then set aside.

Filling Instructions

While the potatoes are cooking, cook and crumble the ground beef over medium heat. When it is almost browned, drain off any excess grease and sprinkle with flour. Continue stirring and cooking for 1 minute, to coat well.
Add the onions and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.
Add the tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and cook for a couple of minutes. If the mixture looks dry, add a splash of water or broth along with the peas.
Stir to combine. Taste and then season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Remove from heat. Spoon the beef into the potatoes, then top each potato with a heaping of mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over each potato, then place back in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the edges are lightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Notes

If your potatoes are on the smaller side, you'll have more than 8 potatoes to work with in this recipe. I prefer to use Yukon gold potatoes and they tend to be smaller than the Russets are most of the time. So, I was able to make 12-14 smaller stuffed potatoes with about 3 pounds of potatoes

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