Yay for hearty, fall-to-winter food. We liked Christy Blake’s challenge to try our hands at a good, old-fashioned shepherd’s pie. When was the last time you made one? Christy especially likes this recipe because her father- and grandfather-in-law were sheepherders, and it makes easy leftovers for kiddos.

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 T. butter
1 T. chopped onion
1/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper (to taste)
5 carrots, chopped
1 T. vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
2 T. flour
1 T. ketchup
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
garlic powder (to taste)
3/4 c. beef broth
frozen peas and/or frozen corn
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Separate out carrots and set aside. Drain and mash potatoes. Mix in butter, chopped onion, sour cream and 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese. Then season with salt and pepper and garlic powder to taste.

2. Drain and mash carrots. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

3. Heat oil in large frying fan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until browned well. Pour off fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder to taste and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.

4. Spread ground beef evenly on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Then spread peas and/or corn evenly over meat if desired. Next add a layer of mashed carrots, and top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

YHO tips: Consider boiling potatoes and carrots separately as separation of the two vegetables can be difficult once softened. And peas shouldn’t be left out! Plus, if you’re having company, use a prettier dish than we did.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.