Easy Cottage Pie has ground beef simmered with onions, garlic, thyme in a savory red wine and tomato that's topped with vegetables and then mashed potatoes.
Peel, chop and boil the potatoes in heavily salted water. When fork tender, about 12-15 minutes, drain. Mash with a little butter, plain Greek yogurt and milk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
Sauté the onions and garlic in the bacon fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Sprinkle the beef mixture with the flour and cook for a minute or two.
Add the tomato paste and cook stirring to mix in for a few minutes. Add the thyme and pour in the beef stock and red wine. Use a spoon to scrape up all the browned bits to get every bit of flavor packed into this sauce.
Spread this meat mixture on the bottom of a 13x9" baking dish and add the fresh cut corn and steamed, cut green beans evenly over meat mixture. Feel free to use canned here, but I had both on hand and feel fresh is always better.
Carefully spread the mashed potatoes on top of vegetables and sprinkle with paprika and grated Parmesan cheese. I use a fork to scrape cross hatch marks across the mashed potato topping to create ridges that brown well in the oven. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.