my oh my, it's shepherd's pie!

the best shepherd's pie i ever ate was in british airways' club world business class on a flight from london to boston. ever since that flight i've been in love with shepherd's pie. once i found a recipe and started making this at home, the geek fell in love with it too.

this isn't the prettiest of dishes (at least it isn't when i make it), but it's oh so tasty and filling. as an added bonus, it's budget friendly too.

traditionally shepherd's pie is made with lamb and cottage pie is made with minced beef, so i guess this technically should be called a cottage pie recipe or 'americanized shepherd's pie.' as folks always tell me when i'm in england, we're two countries separated by a common language.



adapted from the easy shepherd's pie recipe posted on simply recipes.


equipment
9 inch by 9 inch baking dish
large skillet

ingredients

• 1 pound of ground beef (i sometimes use meatloaf mix, a blend of hamburger, pork, and veal)
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil or cooking spray
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons knorr's brown gravy mix (i've also used 1/2 cup of beef broth or beef consomme instead of gravy, if using either of these, omit the water)
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup frozen vegetables (i use the 'classic' mix of carrots, peas, green beans, and corn)
• 1 pound of mashed potatoes (i use the garlic mashed potatoes from simply potatoes- found in the refrigerated section, but you can make your own with a pound of peeled and cooked potatoes, mashed with 2-4 tablespoons of butter) 
• sharp cheddar, shredded (optional, for melting over the potatoes. not traditional, but so good!)
• salt and pepper

directions

1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. in a large skillet, heat the oil (or cooking spray) over medium heat. add the onions and garlic and saute until tender (about  8 minutes). add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink. drain the excess fat/liquid and return the skillet to the stove. 
3. sprinkle the gravy mix over the meat mixture and add the water and worcestershire sauce. mix to combine so there are no gravy lumps. bring the temperature to low-medium and add the frozen vegetables. continue to heat and add salt and pepper to taste. transfer meat mixture to the baking dish.
4. if using pre-made mashed potatoes, warm in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. mix to create a more spreadable texture. (if everyone likes cheese, you could mix the shredded cheddar into the potatoes at this point.) spread the potatoes over the meat mixture. if you remember, score the surface of the mashed potatoes to ensure it browns evenly (i always forget to do this until it's almost done baking).
5. bake the shepherd's pie for 20-30 minutes on the middle rack of the oven, until the pie is heated through and the potatoes have started to brown. if the potatoes are slow to brown, you can broil the pie for a few minutes (but make sure you watch it closely as it browns very quickly under the broiler!)
6. serve with a dish of shredded cheddar for anyone who wants it.

serves 4 hearty eaters.

notes

• for a prettier meal, you can make individual servings so everyone has their own mini casserole.
• the british airlines version that i ate had haricot verts, trimmed and left uncut.
• need to feed more folks? stretch the recipe to fit a 9x13 pan by adding and extra half pound of ground beef, doubling the gravy/broth/consomme and worcestershire sauce amounts, adding an extra 1-1.5 cups of frozen vegetables, and adding and extra half pound of mashed potatoes. the recipe is forgiving that way.