Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie-Whatever You Call It, I Call It Tasty!

Today’s Menu: Shepherd’s Pie and homemade Newfoundland style bread.

First off, I would like to apologize for the delay in my update.  Sunday dinner ended up being hot dogs and lemonade-not quite a comfort food, but I suppose in a roundabout way, a summer comfort food.

Tonight, we are having shepherd’s pie, definitely one of my favourite and tasty economical meals that can be stretched out over several days.  Now, traditionally speaking, shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb, gravy and corn, but many people use the more economical ground beef in their pie.  Technically speaking, making it with ground beef, it’s called a cottage pie.  I’ve had both, and if made right, both are quite tasty, but tonight, I’m going with regular ground beef instead.

Straying from my traditional shepherd’s pie (or cottage pie), I’m trying something different.  I picked up a package of Club House shepherd’s pie seasoning mix with groceries a few weeks ago, so I thought this might be a good time to try a different route (that, and I’m out of mushroom soup, my traditional sauce of choice).  Making a few careful substitutions, I’ve added more vegetables than traditionally found in a shepherd’s pie-besides, more vegetables is always a good thing.  Frozen peas are my vegetable of choice for today, and I’m kicking it up a notch and using roasted garlic mashed potatoes, skin and all.  Here’s the basic recipe for the pie:

•    1 lb ground beef (your choice of lean, medium or regular)
•    1 large onion, finely chopped
•    2 cups vegetables (your choice)
•    Seasoning packet
•    2lbs mashed potatoes

Brown up your ground beef in a large frying pan, along with your chopped onion; drain off fat and add in vegetables.  Add your seasoning mix, water, and stir to combine.  Bring everything to a boil, and let simmer for about 5 minutes on medium heat.  Transfer everything to a casserole dish (I just used my lasagna pan, does the trick just fine), and top with your mashed potatoes.  Bake the pie at 400F for 25 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. 

I like to add a bit of cheddar cheese to my potatoes for a bit of extra kick, but that’s purely optional.  Serve with warm bread and a side salad (optional) for a hearty and tasty dinner.

Happy Eating!