Shepherd's Pie

This recipe for Shepherd’s Pie is one I’ve been making for years…. it’s perfect for using up leftover mashed potatoes. This hearty meal is always welcome to even the pickiest eaters. It’s quick to make and perfect for a winter night. Serve with some crusty bread… and maybe a small salad and you have one terrific meal.

TIPS

Over the years I’ve made variations… especially when I had leftover beef stew… you can substitute the leftover stew meat and stew gravy for the ground beef and gravy… just add a little more vegetables and top with mashed potatoes.

You can use fresh or frozen vegetables…. I wouldn’t recommend canned. Mushrooms can either be canned or fresh… I use fresh.

I gave you instructions for my Creamy Mashed Potatoes… however.. you can use your own favorite recipe if you desire.

This calls for a lot of garlic powder... the strength will depend on how fresh yours is... start with a little and add to taste....

The recipe calls for beef broth… if you find you don’t have beef broth on hand… you can substitute a brown gravy seasoning packet and water. Simply sprinkle the brown gravy mix over the beef mixture and add 1 cup of water….. it’s not as good as beef broth but it certainly is good enough to use in a pinch.

I hope you try this great recipe.








Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie

All you need:

1 ¼ pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
1 small pkg. (8 ounces) fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen carrots
1 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
¼ cup ketchup OR 1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
¼ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Mashed potatoes

For Mashed Potatoes:

4 large potatoes (Yukon Gold preferred), peeled and cubed
4-6 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt to taste

All you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large skillet, crumble the meat and brown it and diced onions over medium high heat.

When meat is fully cooked, drain off any excess fat.

Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms begin to soften (if using fresh mushrooms).

Sprinkle the garlic powder over the meat mixture and stir.

Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture.

Add the beef broth and make sure you stir well so there aren’t any lumps of flour.

TIP: If you’re not the best at sprinkling the flour… you can add the flour to the beef broth in a larger measuring cup or medium bowl… whisk vigorously until the flour is well incorporated into the beef broth.

Add the peas and carrots, stir well.

Add the Worcestershire Sauce and ketchup (or tomato paste), stir well to incorporate.
Salt and pepper to taste.

To Make the Mashed Potatoes:

Peel and dice the potatoes… making sure the pieces are the same size so they cook in the same amount of time.

Place in a large pot with 1 tablespoon salt and cover with water and bring to a boil.

Turn down the heat and simmer the potatoes about 20 minutes or until fork tender.

Drain and return to the pot or place into the bowl of an electric mixer.

Heat the milk and 4 tablespoons butter until butter is just melted.

Mash the potatoes until desired consistency.

Add the milk and butter mixture and stir.

Add the heavy cream and stir.

Add the ground black pepper and stir.

Salt to taste.

To assemble the pie:

Spread the meat mixture in a 13 x 9 baking dish or individual dishes.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture.

Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top of the potatoes (if using).

Place dish on a foil lined cookie sheet so if the pie bubbles over it doesn’t make a mess in your oven (mine did not bubble over... a lot).

Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes or until potatoes begin to brown a bit and the pie is bubbly.