One of my favorite dishes, dating back to college when I had an Oxford graduate for a roommate. Lamia (She was actually an Arab) introduced me to international food. And scotch. But her shepherd's pie was simpler than many of the ones I've tasted in Irish and English Pubs. This is the first time I've made it without a tomato paste base, and it seems more beefier (or better). You can substitute a small can of tomato paste + small can of tomato sauce for the beef gravy.
BEEF & VEGETABLES
1.5 lbs browned ground beef 90% lean
1 TBS butter
1 clove garlic
1 med. onion
1 LB bag of frozen carrots & peas
12 oz jar beef gravy
pepper and paprika to taste
1 TSP wocstershire sauce
MASHED POTATOES
3? lbs red skin potatoes (abt. 8 Lg potatoes.
1 stick of Butter
1 1/2 cups organic 2% milk
2 oz. half and half
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 tbs Parsley
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
Wash and scrub potatoes. Remove eyes from spuds.
Peel only as much as needed to remove undesired skin.
quarter potatoes.
Boil until tender, drain.
Add butter, cover, allow butter to melt.
Mash.
Press Garlic over potatoes
Add salt, pepper, parsley
Add milk, 1/2 cup at a time.
Mash / Stir / Heat until soft.
Brown beef, pour off excess fat. Set aside.
Saute the garlic and onion in butter and grease until onion is translucent
Stir in gravy
add pepper, paprika and wocstershire sauce
Add frozen carrots, (or peas and carrots) heat over med. heat until simmering
Add frozen peas, heat until again simmering
Stir in ground beef
(if using peas and carrots- the carrots are cut smaller and will cook faster than crinkle cut carrot slices)
pour mixture into 9x13 baking pan
Spoon mashed potatoes over meat mix, abt. 1/2 in. deep
sprinkle with cheddar cheese
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes
