Easy Shepherds Pie

I did not grow up eating Shepards Pie but I have learned to appreciate its simplicity & how it is such an easy comfort food to make!

I suppose this could be considered a ‘winter’ food, since it is a casserole, but I know that it is perfect for any time of year!

I make a really simple basic recipe, the most difficult part is waiting for the potatoes to boil!! If you have left over mashed potatoes this is the perfect dish to make to use them up! Basically it is sautéed meat , mixed with vegetables & then topped with mashed potatoes , then baked until the potatoes are nice and brown & the meat is bubbly…

It can be adapted in quantity… easy to make bigger just by doubling up the quantities of the ingredients. I made this with 2 lb of ground beef & 4 big russet potatoes. I don’t add any gravy to the meat but I do add some water, which you can use beef broth & then sprinkle on some flour, mix it together & then there is some moisture to the meat

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes

3 tbsp margarine

salt & pepper for the potatoes

2 tbsp oil

1 large onion. finely diced

1.5 or 2 lb ground beef

salt & pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp flour

2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables

paprika to use on top of the potatoes

Method

you will need a saucepan to boil the potatoes in, a skillet to cook the meat, & a casserole dish to bake everything together in

1. Peel & boil the potatoes until soft & when they are done mash them. Add the margarine & season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside Note*** you can cook the beef while the potatoes are cooking
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet & sauce the onions until they are soft & starting to brown a bit. Add more oil if needed
3. When the onions are done, add the ground beef, season with salt & pepper & the garlic powder. Cook the meat, breaking up any large chunks with a spoon or fork. Cook the meat until there isn’t any pink left stirring often
4. Once the meat is cooked through, taste it and adjust the seasoning
5. Pour the water into the skillet, sprinkle the flour over the meat & give everything a good stir & cook for 5 minutes, stirring often
6. In the bottom of the casserole dish, put the cooked ground beef spreading it out evenly
7. Evenly put the mixed vegetables over the meat
8. Now, spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the vegetables… & sprinkle some paprika over the potatoes
9. Bake in a 350f oven for approx 45-60 minutes until the potatoes are brown & the beef is bubbily

Enjoy!

I don’t have a picture of the vegetables being put into the casserole! But they go on top of the meat… then the potatoes get spread evenly over the vegetables!