Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

If you've never tried Shepherd's Pie, it's basically just ground beef and mashed potatoes. Nothing fancy. No weird animal parts. Just good old meat and potatoes.

It's delicious.



I first tried this recipe when my coworker Sarah whipped it up for our office St. Patrick's Day potluck.

Not only was the dish impressive, Sarah said it was a recipe she found online and had never made before. And she said it was super easy.

I was sold.

Boyfriend and I have made this meal twice and it seems to be a pretty fail proof recipe. One of those times, I invited my teenage niece and nephew over and even THEY gave it the stamp of approval. That says a lot because kids (of any age) can be real assholes.


EASY SHEPHERD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS:
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cups vegetables (carrots, corn, peas)
1.5-2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
1 stick of butter
-1/2 cup beef broth
-1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
-salt, pepper, seasonings to taste



DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel and quarter potatoes. Boil until tender enough for mashing.

2. While potatoes are boiling, melt 1/2 stick of butter in a large frying pan. Saute onions and carrots over medium heat until tender (10 min).



3. Add ground beef and saute until no longer pink. Add salt/ pepper/ or any other seasonings to taste.



4. Add carrots and peas.

5. Add Worcestershire sauce.

5. Add beef broth and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add more broth as necessary to keep it moist.

6. Mash potatoes with remaining butter.



7. Place beef mixture into a casserole dish. Distribute mashed potatoes evenly on top. Rough up with a fork so the peaks will brown nicely.



8. Cook at 400 until bubbling and brown (about 30 min). Broil for the last few minutes if necessary to brown.



Yield: Serves 4


NOTES:
-The more veggies, the better. Especially carrots and corn because they add texture.
-The first time we made it, we learned that the suggested amount of 1/2 cup of broth was way too much liquid. So the second time we made it, we added the full amount (so it wouldn't dry out), but then drained most of it before moving the beef mixture into the baking dish.
-I make the mashed potatoes according to my own recipe. More than 1/2 stick of butter was used. As well as salt, pepper, and milk.
-To add a little color, we sprinkled paprika over the top of the casserole before cooking.
-Both times, this recipe yielded 6 servings (not 4).

Boner'ppetite!