Shepherd’s pie is a relatively quick meal made with ground beef or lamb (if you want to be traditional, or you happen to have leftover roast lamb). It is easy to assemble, and takes about half an hour to cook.
- 3/4 pound ground beef
- 3-4 large potatoes
- 1 large onion
- 2-3 carrots
- 1 can sliced mushrooms
- worcestershire sauce/chili sauce (optional)
- salt, pepper
- cornstarch (couple tablespoons)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2-3 tablespoons sour cream or 1 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons milk
If I have leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge, this is a doddle. If not, I start by peeling several large russet or yukon gold potatoes. I dice them into cubes and set them to boil, while I toss my ground beef in another pot. I set it at medium heat, and cover it with a lid. While the meat is starting to brown, I dice a large onion. Turning back to the pot, I stir the meat with a wooden spoon and season it with a dash of salt and pepper. A couple dashes of worcestershire sauce can liven it up a bit, or chili sauce if you like it hot). Then I stir in the onions, and put the lid back on. Set the oven to 350F. While the beef and onions cook, I dice up a couple of carrots and open a can of sliced mushrooms. By that point, the onions are usually transparent, so I drain off any excess fat, and add 1 cup of beef broth to the pot, along with the carrots and mushrooms. I leave the lid off, stir it more frequently. Checking the potatoes, I drain off the water as soon as they are fork tender, and I mash them with sour cream (or butter and milk). As soon as the carrots are fork tender, I thicken the gravy with cornstarch (mixed with water). Once it has thickened, I remove it from the heat, and put into a casserole dish.  Let it sit  for a few minutes, then spread the mashed potatoes on top.
Put in the oven at 350F for about 30 minutes. I often grate cheese on top, or add sliced tomatoes, or both…and put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.
Serves 4