Hearty and Comforting Shephard's Pie

One of a handful of the first things I made when I started really getting into cooking was a Shephard's Pie.
This came at a time when money was extremely tight for us, and it cause me to get very creative in the kitchen.
(You can read a little more about that here) 

Sometimes piecing together ingredients with a tight budget can be the times you get most creative in the kitchen! I wouldn't trade those hard times for anything, because that's when I was forced to learn to try different things when it came to feeding my family, and when my love of cooking began!

At the time, I only had a handful of ingredients on hand; potatoes, ground turkey, and frozen vegetable. A quick google search for recipes with those ingredients brought about a handful of ideas for Shephard's Pie. (Don't you just LOVE that you can search anything on the internet and find something?!)
Shephard's Pie is hearty and comforting, with a true traditional meat and potatoes feel and it's perfect for those cold winter nights.
This is something I've tweaked a bit to suit my personal tastes, it's a hearty meal that you can make on a tight budget to feed plenty, and I have a husband and a lot of boys in my house! It satisfies everyone's appetite, and they're digging in for every last bite.

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Ingredients:

• 3 large russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, divided*
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1-2 cups vegetables
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon Sherry
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• salt, pepper, parsley, seasonings

Directions:

Start by peeling and quartering your potatoes, then boiling in a large pot for about 20 minutes. (I boil first, then just peel the skins off, no potato peeler needed, the method is up to you!)

While the potatoes are boiling, in a large pan heat 1/4 cup butter or margarine till melting, then add the chopped onions and saute for a few minutes until soft.

Once the onions are cooked, add your raw ground beef or turkey and minced garlic.

I typically like to season my meat while it's raw, so at this point is where I would add salt, pepper, etc.
With this dish, I actually tried these 2 wonderful finds that I picked up from Safeway. I just seasoned to taste, and added some ground ginger to it as well. I don't have exact measurements, but if you've been reading a while you know I love to season everything! Season away!

Once the meat is browned, add your frozen veggies. I used peas and carrots, corn, and french cut green beans. About 1-1/2 cups worth of veggies for me.
Now add the Worcestershire sauce and Sherry, and let that cook for a few minutes until the veggies are thawed out and soft. Stir every so often and mix it around a bit.

Now add the beef broth, and bring it just to a slight boil and turn down the heat to low. Let it cook on low for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often. If it looks a bit dry then add a little more broth, but 1/2 cup should be perfect.

While the meat is cooking in the broth, drain your potatoes. Place them in a large bowl with 1/4 cup butter or margarine. I seasoned this with some dried parsley and the spicy sea salt and pepper seasoning pictured above. Mash them up well.

While mashing, pour whipping cream in. Mash until everything is well combined and potatoes are all smoothed out.

Prepare your baking dish by spraying or lightly greasing the sides. Fill the bottom of the dish with the meat mixture and spread it evenly. 

Now spread the potatoes evenly on top of the meat, creating little peaks with a fork.
Pop this in the oven, and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the sides are bubbling.

The potatoes will be golden and buttery looking, with a slight crisp to the peaked edges.

Let cool for about 15 minutes or so before cutting in to serve.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts are my own.