Shepherd's Pie

Thanks to a multiple-day internet hiatus that involved multiple hours of phone calls to get fixed, this post has been a very long time coming!

I'm rather partial to meat and potatoes, if you hadn't guessed that already.  Shepherd's Pie is just that, with a few vegetables thrown in for color/to feel like one eats more vegetables.  According to Wikipedia (source of all that is fact), a Shepherd's Pie is supposed to contain lamb as shepherds work with sheep, and Cottage Pie is the name for a similar beef-containing dish.  For some reason I had thought its name came from its ability to be a hearty meal in one dish that shepherds could eat while out and about on the fields.  Also, it seems rather cruel for shepherds to be consuming a meal with lamb in front of the sheep they are herding.

Regardless, this recipe calls for ground beef rather than lamb.  So you're set to eat it around sheep, or lab rats, or whatever animals you may work with other than cows.  And you may call it whichever name you prefer.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

For the topping-

4-5 medium-sized potatoes, peeled

1/4 C or more milk, as desired

2-4 T butter, depending on your family history of heart disease

salt and pepper

Parmesan or cheddar cheese

For the filling-

1 lb ground beef

2 T canola or olive oil (or butter)

2 T flour

10 oz beef broth

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1 small onion, diced

1/2 C frozen corn

1/2 C frozen peas (could sub other vegetables!)
Herbs/seasonings: ground black pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme leaves, sage, whatever you prefer.  I used some Penzey's mix I had on hand.
Parsley for garnish

(it's hard to make ground beef look too pretty here...)

1. Peel potatoes, cut in half or thirds, and place in cold water.  Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 20-30 minutes until fork tender.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, you'll assemble the rest of the pie.  Start by browning and draining the ground beef in a large pot.
3. With the ground beef set aside, put the pot back on the stove and add the 2 T oil or butter over medium-high heat.  Once hot (or when butter is melted), add the onion and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent but garlic is not yet brown.
4. Add the flour and stir rapidly (you've got a rue here) or use a whisk to stir.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the beef broth a small amount at a time, and continue to stir.  Bring to a simmer- it should start to thicken here.
6.  Add herbs/spices to taste and lots of ground black pepper.  Once the broth is starting to thicken into a gravy, add the ground beef, corn, and peas and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes (or longer to thicken gravy).
7. Pour ground beef mixture into a round dish (I used an approx 9-inch diameter glass dish).

-Turn on your broiler-

8. Now back to the potatoes- drain these, and return to their pot.  Add milk, butter, salt and pepper, and mash away until they are the consistency that you like.
9. Spread potatoes on top of beef mixture, being sure to get all the edges so the gravy doesn't bubble out.
10. Sprinkle parmesan or other cheese on top of potatoes.
11.  Place your dish in the oven a few inches below the broiler, and broil 5 or more minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top, or to your liking.  Parsley garnish would be great too.
12. Eat!