Shepherd's Pie

I’m one of those people who appreciate the plastic plates with dividers. Regardless of the fact that there aren’t nearly enough sections, I like being able to separate my food into 3 different areas on my plate. I sincerely dislike mixing my food. I love Thanksgiving but I find it so hard to separate all the many dishes and keep them from touching. So I usually end up just avoiding the edges where the foods have mixed. I might have a problem….

I’ve never had shepherd’s pie before for precisely this reason. I love mashed potatoes and I love ground beef in almost any dish but I don’t like to mix them. But the hubby requested it and it seemed like such a comfort food (we’ve been having some surprisingly cold weather) and the picture on Sing for Your Supper looked delicious!

This recipe is originally from For the Love of Cooking.

Mashed Potato Topping

5-6 large potat0es, peeled and cut into thirds

1/4 cup of milk

3 tbsp sour cream

2-3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Sea salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Boil a large pot of water. Boil your peeled and cut potatoes 10-12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain potatoes and place back into the pan. Add the milk, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, sea salt, and black pepper then mash with a masher or blend with a mixer until creamy and smooth. Cover with a lid and set aside.

Meat Filling and Sauce

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced

2 large carrots, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced (I used garlic powder)

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef

1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I used double this)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 1/4 cup beef broth (I used chicken)

While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 400º. HEat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery then cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the lean ground beef and cook thoroughly, draining as needed. Add the salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Once the beef is done cooking, mix the peas into the mixture until well combined. Pour the beef filling into a large baking dish and set aside. In the same skillet, over medium heat, add the 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of flour. Mix thoroughly then slowly add the beef/chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper (I also added more Worcestershire). Pour the sauce over the beef mixture and mix thoroughly. Top the beef and vegetable mixture with the mashed potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!