Shepherd's Pie Revisited

JackieOhNo!'s Note:

Not your traditional version, but tasty nonetheless. Adapted from "Menu Makeover", Good Food Magazine, January 1987. Goes great with a nice glass of ale.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 8 ounces hot Italian sausages , cut lengthwise in half, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 3 links)
• 1 (16 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes
• 1 ½ cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 garlic clove , minced
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or ½ teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano , crumbled
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• 2 lbs potatoes , pared, cut into 1-inch cunks
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6 tablespoons butter , room temperature

Directions:

1. Place ground beef and sausages in 10-inch skillet. Cook, breaking up beef, over medium-high heat until meat loses some of its pink color and releases juices. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, and vinegar. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes, about 10 minutes. Stir in peas, basil, 1/2 t. salt, the oregano, and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain potatoes and transfer to large mixer bowl. Beat in milk, cheese, butter, remaining 1/2 t. salt, and pepper to taste; continue to beat until smooth.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Spoon meat mixture into 2-quart gratin or shallow casserole dish. Spoon potato mixture on top and spread evenly to edge. If desired, spoon some of the potato mixture into a pastry bag fitted with large star tip and pipe decorative border around edge.
5. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 45-50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot.

Reviews

[Karen Elizabeth]

Very different, we certainly enjoyed this! I prepared the meat sauce in the morning, leaving it to develop flavour by the time we enjoyed it in the evening, good rich flavours! The only thing I had to omit were the mushrooms, didn't realise I didn't have any. So I finely chopped some carrots and celery, which I did have, and used those instead. I chose to use another recipe for the potato topping, although I think yours would be very good too, I had a lot of sun-dried tomatoes in the fridge, and so used Recipe #368274, which worked well. Another time, though, I'll stick to your original recipe! Thank you for this delicious casserole, Jackie!

[Cluich]

Might be a tasty casserole, but it sure as hell isn't shepherd's pie.