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Shepherd’s Pie – a Classic Comfort Food Recipe

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When you’re looking for comfort food, nothing beats a classic shepherd’s pie. Simple to make, easy to stock & frugal to boot – as low as $1.73 per serving!!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Mashed Potatoes:

  • 3 pounds Russet potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces (I leave peels on for added nutrition, but you can peel the potatoes before chopping if you prefer)
  • 8 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2–1 cup milk or cream (I use raw), to your liking
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the Meat and Vegetable Mixture:

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 3 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 2 pounds ground beef (can reduce to 1 pound)
  • 1/2 cup beef broth/stock
  • 2–4 Tbsp flour (I like more for a thicker, gravy-like consistency)
  • 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 1/4 cups)
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Mashed Potatoes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. (Start chopping your vegetables while the potatoes cook)
  3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and allow to cook until soft (about 10 minutes). Drain.
  4. Slice butter into several pieces and add to the hot potatoes, allowing it to melt.
  5. Add the milk/cream and use an electric mixer to beat the potatoes just until smooth.
  6. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste, then beat on high until the texture is to your liking.

For the Meat and Vegetable Mixture:

  1. Melt butter in a large saucepan.
  2. Add garlic, onion, celery, and carrot, and beef and saute, stirring often.
  3. Turn heat down to low and season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Heat 1/2 cup beef broth and whisk in 2-4 Tbsp flour until smooth. Pour over the meat/vegetable mixture, stirring well. Continue to cook on low heat until sauce thickens slightly.
  5. Transfer meat mixture to a 13×9″ casserole dish or divide evenly into 6 smaller bowls/bakers.
  6. Sprinkle shredded cheddar evenly across the top of the meat mixture.
  7. Spoon mashed potatoes on top and spread evenly across the surface with the back of a spoon.
  8. Cook for about 20 minutes or until mixture is heated through and the surface begins to firm slightly.
  9. I usually broil for 1-2 minutes to get a nice, light crisp and golden brown on the surface of the potatoes.

Notes

This dish can be assembled ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to cook, and it makes excellent left overs!

Find it online: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/recipe-classic-shepherds-pie-a-comfort-food-recipe/