If you’re looking for THE meal to make before your kids head back to college, look no further. We love when all our kids come home for the summer, because the house is full, loud and family dinners are endless! But we hate when they pack up to go back. We have 3 heading off to college this fall, and we wanted to send them off with full bellies and ready to dominate the school year! They all agreed that this was the meal they wanted for their farewell dinner! It’s enough to feed the army, which we have! Elevated Cottage Pie For the beef • 5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2” pieces • 4 tbsp butter + 2 tbsp olive oil • 3 carrots, 4 celery stalks + ½ red onion, roughly chopped • 1 bottle dry red wine + 3 cups beef broth • 2 heads garlic, halved • Rosemary + thyme • Salt & pepper For the filling • 3 tbsp olive oil • 1 large yellow onion, 3 carrots + 5 celery stalks, diced • 10 cloves garlic, minced • 3–4 tbsp tomato paste • 4 tbsp butter + 4 tbsp flour For the potatoes • 8 lbs russet potatoes, peeled • 2 cups whole milk, warmed, plus more as needed • 6 tbsp butter • 1 cup Gruyère + ½ cup Parmesan • Salt 1. Season beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a large Dutch oven and sear beef in batches until deeply browned. Remove. Add the rough-cut carrots, celery and onion and cook 3–4 minutes. 2. Return beef to the pot. Add wine, broth, garlic and herbs. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover and braise at 325°F for about 3 hours, or until the beef is completely fork-tender and pulls apart easily. 3. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in heavily salted water until very tender. Drain and let steam dry 5–10 minutes. Rice or mash while hot, then gradually fold in warm milk and butter until creamy but still thick enough to hold its shape. Fold in ½ cup Gruyère and season to taste. 4. For the filling, sauté diced onion, carrots and celery in olive oil until completely softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook 2–3 minutes more. 5. Remove beef from the braising liquid and shred. Strain the liquid, reserving it. Add beef to the vegetables and gradually add enough braising liquid to make a rich, moist filling. Simmer until slightly reduced. 6. Mash the butter and flour together into a smooth paste. Stir it into the simmering beef mixture and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the meat. Taste and adjust seasoning. 7. Divide between two deep 9x13” baking dishes, or use one very large deep baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, piping or spreading them evenly to the edges. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère and Parmesan. 8. Bake at 400°F for about 30 minutes, until bubbling and golden. Broil for 1–3 minutes if needed for deeper color, watching closely. Rest 10–15 minutes before serving. Finish with chives if you like. IB: @Corre Larkin #mealprep #DinnerIdeas #backtoschoolshopping #familytime #onepotmeals - @seattlehanddoc