Shepherd's Pie

Submitted by Cheforama

"I married at the early age of 18 and my husband and I were starving college students. I found a Shepherd's Pie recipe in the local newspaper one week. Over the years I have added to the recipe and enhanced it to be not only delicious but nutritious. My recipe for Shepherd's Pie has almost all the food groups in this casserole. It is easy to cook and has been a family favorite for years. This is one way I could get my children to eat vegetables, because the casserole is filled with potatoes and ground beef, their two favorite things to eat. It is a great dish to take to a potluck and is always the first casserole to be eaten, with people "licking their chops" and looking for more. I like to prepare this casserole on the weekend, double it and freeze one and bake one."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 19
• Yields: 1 casserole
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 large egg
• 1⁄4 cup chicken broth
• 1⁄4 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons softened butter
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• cooking spray
• 2 lbs 93% lean ground beef
• 1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely shredded
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 (1 ounce) envelope beef dry onion soup mix
• 1 tablespoon dried onion
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
• 2 cups frozen cubed hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese

directions

1. Boil the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them back into the pan. Combine egg, broth, milk, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Add to the potatoes and mash until they are smooth.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Spray skillet with cooking spray and add meat to hot pan. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Brown the meat for 4 or 5 minutes, then add the shredded carrot and onion to the meat. Cook the carrot and onion with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. In a small sauce pan over medium heat combine soup mix, dried onions, flour and water, whisking well and bring to a low boil, continue to simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook until the beef onion gravy is thicken. Add gravy to meat and stir in peas, corn and hash browns; continue to simmer an additional 5 minutes, until the peas, corn and hash browns are heated through.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Fill 13 x 9 inch casserole with meat and vegetable mixture and spread the mashed potatoes evenly over meat and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle shredded cheese all over the top of the mashed potatoes and bake the casserole for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and the casserole is piping hot. Remove from oven and allow casserole to rest for 5 to 7 minutes before serving. Serves 8.