Shepherd's Pie

Total Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 4 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons butter, separated
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, 1/4-inch dice
• 1 medium carrot, 1/4-inch dice
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1/2 lb mushroom, sliced
• 2/3 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 (3/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, made according to package directions
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 peel potatoes and cut into cubes. place in cold salted water and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low boil until potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. drain potatoes and mash with milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter until smooth. season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
• 2 brown ground beef in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. remove ground beef from pan and drain off excess fat, reserving 3 tablespoons of fat. put reserved fat in saucepan add onion, carrot, and celery. saute for 5 minutes until onion becomes translucent. add mushrooms and frozen peas, saute for 5 more minutes.
• 3 return ground beef to pan along with parsley, thyme, worcestershire, and nutmeg. simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. add brown gravy to pan, and simmer 1 to 2 minutes more. season to taste with salt and pepper. remove from heat and let cool.
• 4 preheat oven to 400 degrees. layer bottom of a 3-liter casserole dish with beef mixture, top with mashed potatoes, making uneven peaks with a fork. cut remaining butter into small cubes and sprinkle over mashed potatoes.
• 5 bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until mashed potatoes have turned golden brown. remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.