Cottage Pie With a Roasted Garlic & Potato Crust

Cottage pie is shepherd's pie made with ground beef instead of lamb. I was feeling lazy one day and whipped this together using left over mashed potatoes with roasted garlic. If the potatoes have thin skins leave them on. It gives it a nice rustic look. My husband loved this. I hope you do too.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, peeled
• 1  bulb of garlic
• 1  tablespoon butter
•  salt
•  pepper
• 4  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 1  medium onion, chopped
• 1  carrot, peeled chopped
• 1  piece celery, chopped
• 1  lb  extra lean ground beef
• 3⁄4 cup  beef stock or 3⁄4 cup water
• 1  tablespoon flour
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 1  pinch nutmeg
• 1  pinch Hungarian paprika (optional)

Directions

1. Boil potatoes until cooked and then drain.
2. meanwhile slice the top part off a bulb of garlic.
3. Rub the cut expose tops of the bulbs with 1 T of olive oil. Roast it in the oven. The oil will prevent the bulb from drying out.
4. Once the bulb is soft and cooked let it cool until you can handle it. Squeeze the cloves out of the garlic bulb into the same pot as the potatoes.
5. Mash the potatoes and garlic together.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
7. heat pan and add oil hamburger, onion, carrot, and celery to pan. Cook on medium heat stirring occasional until it is cooked.
8. Heat broth or water in a pot until it simmers, add flour and whisk over low heat for about 5 minutes. If it does not thicken add more flour.
9. Add thickened broth the meat, thyme, rosemary, and nutmeg to the ground beef mixture.
10. Put this mixture in a baking dish.
11. Spread garlic mashed potatoes over the top of the ground beef. I like to keep it a little uneven so it looks more rustic than perfect.
12. Put dabs of butter on top of the mashed potatoes.
13. Sprinkle the paprika over the top of the potatoes.
14. Bake in the oven 30-35 minutes until it is heated through.