Shepard's Pie

Now that I've gotten a few stove-top recipes put on the blog for those hot summer days, the weather has decided to go nice and mild here. The weather feels a bit more like autumn and with the kids going back to school in our area, it just seems right to bring out some nice, warm comfort food.

Enter: Shepard's Pie

My husband and I have always been a fan of anything that comes from the British and Irish Isles and this dish is no exception. Although it's not the quickest to prepare, a bit of prep goes a long way to making this a very worth while supper. Find the freshest, local ingredients you can and go organic on the rest. This will give a great flavor to a dish that often can be called "bland," especially if your only experience with it has been bad school lunches or divey, so-called Irish pubs. We also use my father-in-law's grass feed beef for the hamburger. If beef isn't in the family, you're sure to find a local source nearby. I can't wait to make this again and use our freshly dug potatoes from the garden for the mash on top! YUM!

Shepard's Pie
slightly adapted from Skinnytaste

For the mash:

• 5-6 medium yellow potatoes (I like Yukon Gold, or the new variety I planted this year German Butterball)
• chicken broth
• milk
• butter
• salt & pepper

Mashed potatoes are not an exact science to me. I cook the potatoes in boiling water until they slide off the fork when pierced. Drain, & mash will a good amount of butter and enough liquid to get them to a smooth consistency. Season with salt & pepper. Feel free to use your favorite style of mash.

For the filling:

•  1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 package while button, or baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas, unthawed
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper

Make sure all the veggies are about the same size pieces. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Brown meat in a large skillet, drain and set aside. Melt butter and saute onion & garlic until onion is soft. Add the rest of the veggies, except the peas. Saute for about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, salt & pepper. Add the peas, broth, tomato past, Worcestershire sauce, herbs & meat. Mix well and simmer on low heat for about 5-10 minutes.

Spread mixture in a 9x13 backing dish. Evenly spread mashed potatoes on the top of mixture & scrape the top with a fork (it looks prettier this way). Sprinkle top with paprika (low cal) or sharp cheddar cheese (higher cal, less traditional).  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the mash starts to lightly brown. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving...if you can wait that long.

Enjoy!