Irish Cottage Pie

• 1 ½ lb ground sirloin
• 3 tbsp Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 c sweet onion, chopped (about ½ large onion)
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 2 c carrots, peeled and diced (about 2 large carrots)
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ c beef stock
• 1 c Guinness
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 c frozen green peas
• 1 ½ lb red potatoes
• 1 c Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375F. Heat a Dutch oven or large, wide skillet over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until crumbled and no longer pink. Drain beef of any excess grease and transfer to plate.

To the same pan add olive oil and butter. When butter melts add onion, celery, carrots, salt and pepper and sauté until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Vegetable mixture will become very thick. Whisk in beef stock, beer, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.

Stir in beef and peas. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 7-10 minutes. While mixture simmers and thickens, thinly slice red potatoes (the thinner the better).

Spoon mixture into a 10 x 13-inch or 10-inch round baking dish, both at least 2-inches deep. Top with sliced potatoes, heavily overlapping each. Sprinkle cheese evenly over potatoes. Cover dish loosely with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, remove foil and return to oven for additional 30 minutes or until pie is bubbling and potatoes are nicely browned.

Remove from oven and allow to rest a minimum of 20 minutes before serving.