I know, I know, traditional 'Shepard's pie' is made with lamb. I don't like lamb. So technically, this is called 'Cottage Pie'. Make it with lamb if you prefer. But that's gross. I guess you could also use a mixture of pork, beef and lamb. I mostly just use beef. Sometimes I add fried panceta, but that's just me. I say this is a "Canadian" dish. It's a British Isles/ Scottish thing. But I'm Canadian, so I'm stealing credit for my home team. My kids love this. I love how easy it is to make, freeze, reheat and eat. I might make five of them at once and pop them into the freezer for fast meals on cool nights. Also, I like mashed potatoes. A lot. The 'prep' time is how long it takes me to peel potatoes and chop an onion. The cooking time is from the time the onion hits the pan until the whole deal is out of the oven.