Shepherd’s Pie

Is it weird that I start craving shepherd’s pie as comfort food exactly when the temperature gets warmer?

You’d think I would be making these comforting, stick to your bones kind of foods (like oatmeal and shepherd’s pie) in the cold of winter. When turning on the oven or stove and having a hot meal would be a nice change from the cold weather outside.

But no. I crave them when I am supposed to be getting ready for swimsuit season. Great…

Not that I have ever really payed attention to when swimsuit season is or anything. I mean, I am naturally thin. People always tell me that I should be trying to gain weight. Which is one of the reasons why I joined a gym. I’ll be bulking up for the summer.. and my wedding! (which is still in over a year, but I can always plan!)

So it’s not such a bad thing after all that I am craving some shepherd’s pie. Especially when making a shepherd’s pie for a house of two people means leftovers for days.

And when you are as busy as we are in the last few weeks of school, we welcome all leftovers we can get.

Shepherd’s pie has always held a special place in my heart. As a kid, my dad would make this as his “speciality” dish at least once a month. By request of course.

And yet, now that I am living on my own, I rarely make it. Looking back on my blog posts, I have only ever made mini shepherd’s pie and tuna shepherd’s pie. The thing is, shepherd’s pie takes so LONG to make! And as a busy teacher, it is so hard to find the time.

So instead of going to prom with my students this weekend (oops), I decided to make this shepherd’s pie.

Okay, before you judge me as being an awful teacher, I went to the headmaster’s dinner and graduation ceremony this week. I really needed to stay home this weekend otherwise I would have nothing to eat all week!

The verdict? Totally worth it. Will be looking forward to the leftovers all week.

Shepherd's Pie

A classic shepherd’s pie recipe made with ground beef. Tastes just like my father made, and his grandmother before him.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Potato Layer

• 1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and halved
• 1/4 cup milk of choice
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Meat Filling

• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes
• 1/2 cup frozen corn
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

Instructions

• Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat. Allow to simmer until the potatoes are tender, and you can easily pierce them with a knife. Drain and add in the milk, butter and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mash with a masher, or blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.
• Heat the canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add in the onion, carrot and garlic until the onions are fragrant and translucent. Add in the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink.
• Sprinkle the flour over the meat, and toss to coat. Add in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and parsley. Bring mixture to a boil until the sauce has thickened. Add in the corn and peas and mix well.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• Pour the meat mixture into a 9×13 baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, pressing it down and spreading it with a fork.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

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