Shepherd’s Pie

Easy comfort food at it’s best! There are probably as many variations of Shepherd’s Pie as there are cooks who make it. The basics are mashed potatoes, meat and vegetables but they can be mixed up to suit your tastes and you can’t go wrong.

I made enough for one pie pan and one rectangular baking pan. It’s easy to make less but go ahead and make a lot. It’s great leftover!

Ingredients:

-Lean Ground Beef, 2 1/2 pounds
-White or Gold Potatoes, about 3 pounds
-Sweet Yellow Onion, 1 medium
-Garlic, 2 or 3 cloves
-Carrots, 6 or 7
-Peas, 1 1/2 cups
-Flour, 1/3 cup
-Beef Bouillon or Stock, 3 cups
-Cheddar Cheese, 2 cups grated
-Black Pepper

Directions:

Cut the potatoes into chunks and put them on to boil. You can peel them first if you like but I never bother.

Dice the onion, mince the garlic and slice the carrots.

Brown the meat over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens and begins to brown.

Add a generous amount of black pepper and the flour. Stir it together until the flour is absorbed.

Add the bouillon and stir it all together. Add the peas and carrots. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the gravy is thickened. If it starts to get too thick add a little more bouillon.

By now the potatoes should be ready to mash. Drain them, reserving some of the cooking liquid, and dump them back into the pot. Mash with a little butter and the cooking liquid. You could use milk or cream but I decided to save on the fat and calories a little.

Spread the potatoes into the baking dish and spoon the meat and vegetable mixture on top.

Sprinkle with cheese and in the lower part of the oven at 350 until the cheese is bubbly and the whole thing is heated through.

Dish it up hot and enjoy!