Comfort food for those cool fall days; Shepherd's Pie recipe

September 19, 4:32 PMRecipe ExaminerCheryl D Lee

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Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is one of my favorite comfort foods, but I don't make it enough.  While rummaging through the freezer looking for inspiration I found some pre-seasoned hamburger patties.  And there just happened to be three russet potatoes in need of cooking also.  The makings for a Shepherd's Pie.

Shepherd's pie was originally made with lamb, but has since come to be accepted using just about any type of ground meat.  You can also make vegetarian Shepherd's Pie.  But the basic recipe is to have some sort of ground filling, topped with mashed potatoes and baked.  How simple is that?

Shepherd's Pie

1 TB olive oil

1 lb ground meat, such as lamb, beef, turkey or chicken

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 cup frozen peas or mixed vegetables

3 large russet potatoes

4 TB butter + 1 TB chopped

1 cup milk or half & half

In large skillet heat oil over medium high heat.  Add ground meat, salt, pepper and thyme. Cook 4-5 minutes, until browned.  Stir in frozen vegetables, then pour into square 8" X 8" baking dish. 

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender.  Drain well, then mash the potatoes.  Add 4 TB of the butter and the milk.  Stir well, then add salt and pepper to taste. 

Top the ground meat and vegetables with the potatoes, smoothing with a spoon.  Do not make the surface too flat, make some indentations with the spoon, kind of like icing a cake.  Take the rest of the butter and dot the top of the potatoes in the indentations. This helps the browning on top, and adds flavor also.

Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350 degree F oven, until top is golden brown.