Shepherd's Pie

Brooke's Recipe

In honor of St. Patrick's Day I decided to make a Shepherd's Pie for Sunday dinner.  Thought to be originally from Ireland, a version of this pie exists in many countries including Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Chile, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic.  There is a good reason why so many people all over the world love to eat this dish. Meat, vegetables, and mashed potatoes all in one???  It is like an entire meal in one casserole.  Here is the Americanized version.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground beef
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup beef stock
2 cups corn (I used PictSweet frozen)
1/2 large yellow onion
2 carrots, pealed and julienned
3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cream
1 lb of white potatoes
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons Worcestershire

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. You do not need to peel the potatoes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine potatoes with butter and cream. Mash until potatoes are smooth. I always use a hand mixture, but if you want to mash them using a masher be my guest.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to hot pan.  Add your hamburger.  Crumble the meat and cook until brown.  Drain the grease.  Add the Worcestershire, tomato paste, and stock.  Stir until combined, and then pour into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same pan, add the other tablespoon of oil.   Add chopped carrot and onion. Cook veggies over medium heat until tender. Add the corn and stir. After about 1 minute, remove from heat. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375. Fill a small rectangular casserole with the meat mixture. Then place half of the cheese over the meat. Then add vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over top evenly and smooth using the back of a spoon. Top potatoes the other half of the cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes until top of the potatoes are brown and cheese is bubbling.

Oh but I'm not done...I won't tell anyone if you want to pour Mushroom Gravy over the top!

Ingredients:

2 cups of mushrooms  ( I used a mushroom mixture already chopped but you can use button)
1/2 yellow onion, minced
2 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 stick butter


In a saucepan over medium heat add olive oil and onions. Cook until the onions are tender. Then add mushrooms and saute mushrooms until brown.  Add the butter. When melted, add the flour and stir until it looks like a paste. Add the beef stock and turn down to low and stir until thick.  Season with salt and pepper.