Shepherd's Pie

When we were staying with my in-laws before we moved to Texas, my mother in-law cooked some really good and inspiring dishes.  In fact, the first three dishes I made when we moved here were meals that she had cooked over that week and I recreated them here.  One of those dishes was Shepherd’s Pie.  I never had it before then and I really liked it.  Since I didn’t have her exact recipe, I googled one and found the following on allrecipes.com, which I modified a little bit and typed it up below.  Mark and I really enjoyed it and will be using this recipe again.  It was also nice in that I prepared it all in a casserole dish the night before, so after work the next day I just had to pop it in the oven and dinner was ready.  Unfortunately, I just realized that I didn't take any pictures!  I think I was still so overwhelmed from the move and starting work that I never thought I would get back to blogging again!  So sorry for not having pictures, but it was good and I definitely recommend this recipe.  Have a good weekend everyone!

Shepherd’s Pie

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Skim Milk, about ¼ to ½ cup
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• About ¾ a bag of frozen carrots/peas combination
• About 1/3 to ½ a bag of frozen corn kernals
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef, I used 90% lean
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2.      Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. And skim milk to desired consistency; the potatoes should be on the thick side still.  Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.

3.      Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Add in frozen carrots/peas and frozen corn and stir for about 1-2 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

4.      Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

5.      Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.