Shepherd's Pie

What do you do with leftover ground beef from your baked ziti (see previous post) and a bag of potatoes in your cupboard that are threatening to be ready for planting? Add in a healthy vegetable of course: I chose carrots, and Voila! You have the ingredients for Shepherd's Pie.



Boil water in a 4 qt. pan and peel 5 large potatoes. Let cook for approx 10-15 minutes until just soft enough but not too soft. Mash in a separate bowl with 3 tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup of milk and a tablespoon salt. Grate a half cup of cheddar cheese into potatoes for cheesey potato topping.

Next, oil a frying pan and start browning a chopped onion with 1 tsp paprika. Add ½ pound ground beef, salt to taste, tsp dried sage, tsp parsley and 1/2 tsp celery seed. Drain excess fat from beef, then add 3/4 cup of beef broth to mixture.

Boil more water. Peel and fine chop 3 carrots. Bring to boil and add them to beef mixture. Adjust paprika and salt to taste. Now you're ready to layer the beef mixture in a casserole dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Top with grated cheese and/or paprika to finish. Bake in a 400 oven for 25 minutes or until browned. Mmmm. Enjoy!