4 Envelope Chuck Roast Cottage Pie

This came about in my own creative brain. I found the recipe for a 3 Envelope Crock Pot Roast and the Hamburger Cottage Pie on pinterest. So here's how to do this incredibly flavored meal that literally takes all day in your kitchen with hardly any work. Mouths will be watering all day for this. I finally found the pictures, they had been grouped into a .zip file in my recipes folder on the computer desktop. I combined instructions from two version of this original. One had you searing the meat first which I found gives it a really good flavor.

This is the original 3 Envelope Roast recipe:

4 envelope Chuck roast cottage pie

3lb approx chuck roast
1 envelope each: Brown Gravy (or Mushroom Gravy), Onion Soup, Italian Dressing and Ranch Dressing.
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic sliced (or more)
3 small russets cut into ½ pieces (or two large)
3 lg  russets for mashed potatoes
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
10-12 oz bag of either mixed veggies or peas and carrots
2 cups fine shredded colby/jack cheese
¼ c milk
2 tbl butter
Lg ziplock bag or pastry bag with plain or decorative tip (optional but it does make it easier to spread the potatoes)

1-2 tblspoons AP flour
Non Stick cooking spray

Pour 2 cups of water in large bowl or 4 cup measuring cup and mix in all three envelopes in the water with a whisk. 

Brown roast if desired in a heavy pan on stove (better flavor) liberally coated with salt and pepper (use a tblspoon of oil or butter if you feel like it) You're just searing the meat, don't have to cook it too much.
Place roast in crock pot carefully (it will be hot so use a good heavy fork and spatula or tongs), add sliced garlic tucked in roast creases (or use knife to make slits), pour water mix over roast put lid on and cook on low for 8 hours or high 4-5 hours. An hour before roast is done, make mashed potatoes with milk, butter, salt pepper and garlic powder. When finished, let them cool a bit before spooning into baggie or pastry bag if using baggie squeeze potatoes almost to the very corner of one side, leave about a half inch before cutting the corner for your hole.
Remove roast carefully to a large plate and shred with two forks, turn crock pot to low. Add in diced potatoes and cook in the liquid until potatoes are fork tender. 

Add shredded beef back in with mixed veggies.
There should be very little liquid left,  it needs to be a thick consistency like gravy to coat everything. If too watery add in a tablespoon of flour and stir until well dissolved and thickened.
Preheat oven to 400
Spray casserole dish with non stick spray. Spoon meat mixture into dish and spread/apply mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle with cheese liberally and cook in oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is browned and pie filling is bubbly around edges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CAUTION: MAKE SURE DISH IS DEEP ENOUGH SO JUICE DOES NOT SPILL OVER IN OVEN!

The real key to this is not having a lot of watery liquid in the filling. It needs to be a thick gravy consistency that coats all the ingredients. I have not had much luck in this department even following the directions carefully so I must be doing something wrong.