Shepard’s Pie

Delicious beef and vegetable skillet dinner topped with creamy mashed potatoes. This is the perfect comfort food using whole, nutrient dense ingredients.

Ingredients

2–3 large potatoes (russet, yukon gold or sweet potato)

1/2 cup milk, cream or chicken broth (for mashed potatoes)

2 lbs ground beef

4 T. butter, divided (I like Kerrygold)

2 sticks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 8 oz container of shitake (or your fave mushrooms) chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz bag peas and carrots

salt

pepper

1 T. tomato paste

1 C. beef or chicken broth

1 t. worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dried thyme

1/2 t. dried rosemary

paprika for sprinkling on top if desired

Instructions

Peel potatoes and cut into evenly sized chunks, about an inch or so thick. Place potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by an inch. Add 1 T. salt to the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until they are tender enough to be pierced with a fork (about 12-15 min).  Drain well and return to the pot and add 2 T. butter. Mash until smooth, adding milk, cream, or chicken broth as needed to create fluffy potatoes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In a cast iron skillet (or other skillet if no cast iron), brown 2 lbs of ground beef on medium heat. Drain out the fat and set aside the meat.

Add 2 T. butter back to the pan on  medium heat.  Add the onion, mushrooms, celery and garlic and saute until softened.  Add tomato paste, beef broth, worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary and about 1 t. each of salt and pepper (or to taste) and simmer a minute longer.  Remove from heat and add in the ground beef and frozen peas and carrots and stir.

Preheat oven to 400.  Spread the meat mixture evenly in the cast iron skillet and top the meat with the mashed potatoes, spreading to cover.  You can sprinkle a bit of paprika on the top if you wish! Bake until potatoes are slightly browned, about 25 min.

Enjoy!

Notes

If you do not have a cast iron skillet, use a regular skillet to prepare the meat and veggie filling.  When finished, transfer to a casserole pan, top with the potatoes and then bake.

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