Recipes We Love: Shepherd’s Pie

Cooking comfort food helps pass winter days inside, and as we brace ourselves for more snow in the northeast, here is something tasty to warm your body and soul. In the summer and fall when items are fresh, I want to make them available in winter so I prepare and freeze items. When the corn is fresh and beautiful, for example, I like to save a few ears for by cutting the corn off the cob and freezing it for winter dishes like this one. I learned how to make this recipe as a teenager, and it has always been a fun dish to make with friends and definitely to eat with friends, but sometimes you want a dish all to yourself. This can be made as a casserole, or in mini dishes for individual servings.

Components:
1 lb organic beef (or vegetarian substitute)
3 medium onions
1 ½ cups frozen corn *mix or add any items such as peas or chopped carrots
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
6 medium potatoes
6 cups water (or enough to cover boiling potatoes)
3 tbs butter
2 tsp salt

Creation:
Mashed potatoes:
1. Coarsely chop potatoes and add to boiling water and cook until soft.
2. Drain potatoes and add butter, and 1 tsp salt, and mash.

Filling:
1. Dice onions
2. Heat pan and add beef.
3. Use a spoon to break small crumbly bits.
4. Add onions, corn, Worcestershire, and 1 tsp salt to pan. *add additional veggies here.
5. Cook until meat is cooked through.

Casserole or mini dish
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees
2. Place filling in first
3. Pack mashed potatoes on top
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until mashed potatoes are lightly browned on top.

About Andrea Todd
Home chef Andrea Todd has been learning by experimenting and trying new foods and combinations in the kitchen for years. She loves to share ideas and tips, and sticks to simple recipes that taste good, are seasonal and easy to make, and locally grown. Sharing is an integral part of Andrea's food philosophy. Whether through a meal in her kitchen with one friend or a community cooking event with 30, she finds the shared experience of food inspiring. The recipes she creates are starting points, designed to be replicated, expanded, or revised as you like. Enjoy!