Few dishes say warm comfort food like Shepherds Pie. It’s easy, delicious, and a welcome friend at the table during these cold weeks of February. Traditionally made with lamb, I prefer ground beef, if you like lamb ( I don’t) you can certainly use it.
I start by sauteing 1 small white or yellow onion chopped, and 1 medium carrot, chopped in about 3 T olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes. To that, I add 1&1/2 lbs of lean ground beef, add 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and a pinch of dried thyme. Stir well for about 8 minutes. Add 1 T Worcestershire, 3 cloves minced garlic ( I use my frozen garlic cubes) 2 T flour, 2 T tomato paste. Mix together well until flour is incorporated and no clumps remain. Add 1 C beef broth and 1 1/2 C frozen peas. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Set mixture aside and preheat oven to 400.
For the mashed potatoes I use about 1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, I stick butter, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, 4 ounces of cream cheese, 1 C grated parmesan, salt, and pepper to taste. TIP: If you are using fresh garlic I recommend roasting the garlic in some foil in the oven first. The frozen cubes work well too. Whip until smooth and creamy.
Add meat mixture to a casserole dish, I use one of my deep glass pie dishes, round, square doesn’t matter. With a spatula spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the meat mixture. Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes. I then turn on the broiler for just a quick minute to get that golden crust. This dish is a total crowd pleaser and is even better the next day for leftovers!
