Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is a hearty, savory meat pie. It consists of some kind of meat (typically either beef or mutton) mixed with vegetables and topped with a layer of mashed potatoes. It is called either cottage pie or shepherd's pie depending on the type of meat used- Cottage pie for beef, and shepherd's pie for lamb or mutton.

Ingredients

• 1 lb beef or lamb; minced (ground)
• 1 large onion; sliced
• 1 lb carrots; grated (coarsely)
• 1/2 lb peas; frozen or fresh
• 2 lb potatoes; peeled and chopped for boiling
• Cheese; (to your liking) grated
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

Instructions

• Peel potatoes and add to pan of cold water.
• Grate carrots coarsely.
• Peel and chop the onion finely, add it to a medium saucepan with the cooking oil, saute gently until it turns a golden color.
• Add the minced beef to the onions and cook until browned, drain excess liquid into a jug.
• Place the meat and onion mixture into a pyrex or enamel dish large enough to take the pie, mix in the peas and carrots.
• Return the liquid left over from the meat to the pan, thicken with a little cornstarch (cornflour) and add to the meat mixture.
• Boil the potatoes until done, then drain and mash well with a little butter or margarine (a walnut sized piece or more if you like the buttery flavor)
• Turn the potatoes out onto the top of the meat mixture and spread well, making sure it touches the sides of the dish.
• Fluff the top well with a fork so that there are little peaks in it.
• Bake in the oven on the middle shelf at about 350 degrees fahrenheit until golden brown and crispy on top (approximately 30 minutes).
• Remove from the oven and scatter the grated cheese all over the potato topping and place back in the oven for 5 more minutes or until melted.
• Serve with other vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, green beans whichever vegetable you prefer.

Pictures

Photos coming soon!

Other Links

• Cottage pie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Traditional Shepherd's Pie recipe on BigOven.com