Shepherd's Pie

I found this recipe for Shepherd's Pie on allrecipes.com. This is a great meal to have when you're looking to have some comfort food. It's very easy and I bet that it can be assembled the night before and baked the next day.

Posted below is the original recipe. In my verdict below I'll explain what I did differently.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 carrots, chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
3. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Here is a picture of it before I put it in the oven.



I ended up putting it under the broiler for a few minutes to get it nice and toasty on top.



Mmmmm...dinner is served!



My verdict: Great comfort food on a cold night. The first time that I made this I followed the recipe exactly except I used mozzarella cheese. Now that I'm more comfortable making this dish I've made a few changes.

I now just use a box of frozen peas & carrots or frozen mixed vegetables. I also add a couple of splashes of worcestershire sauce when adding the ketchup and broth. Lastly, I will sometimes use instant mashed potatoes if I don't have any leftovers or just don't feel like making them fresh. In this dish I really can't tell the difference. In the pics above I used instant.