From Ms. Tricia's Kitchen...

Our girls love my Shepherd's Pie and always beg me to make it. When Shepherd's Pie is for snack, they give a big, "YES" with a rally-type, fist-pump. They prefer the pie with corn rather than English style with peas and carrots. I also use ground turkey, but I've never told them that... I guess I have made it at least once a month.  So, after five years of cooking for our girls at Girls Incorporated, I've made Shepherd's Pie approximately sixty times for 140 girls each time. Enjoy!

Tricia

Shepherd's Pie

Yield: Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 pounds ground beef or ground lamb or ground turkey

½ teaspoon granulated garlic

1 package French onion soup mix

1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup

1 can (14 oz.) beef broth

Salt and pepper to taste

Mashed potatoes:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup milk

Salt to taste

2 cups canned corn or frozen peas

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Optional: Fresh chopped parsley to sprinkle on top of pie before serving

Preparation: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil, and then add the meat and garlic. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Drain the fat. Add the soup mix, mushroom soup, and beef broth. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens.
4. Pour the mixture into a 13x9x2-inch baking dish.
5. Bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.
6. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt.
7. Sprinkle the corn (or peas) over the top of the beef mixture.
8. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the beef and corn and cover completely. Crosshatch the top of the potatoes with a fork.
9. Bake until heated through and slightly golden about 25-30 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and sprinkle top of potatoes with cheese.
11. Place back in oven and cook until cheese is melted.

 Options:

• Combine the corn (or peas) into the meat mixture instead of layering them.
• Use already prepared store-bought mashed potatoes or boxed mashed potatoes.
• Can be prepared the night before, and refrigerated. Bake covered with aluminum foil for about one hour or until    heated through. Take foil off and bake another 10 minutes to brown the top, then sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese is melted.

For additional taste and color, add shredded carrots to the raw meat and cook with the meat.

Submitted by: Chef Tricia Dickerson, Resident Chef at Girls Incorporated of Sarasota County, Florida; and creator of http://www.precociouspatti.blogspot.com. Follow Chef Tricia on the blog.