Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Shepherd's Pie

With snow forecast to arrive at any minute and the threat of below zero temperatures on tap for later this week, my mind is turning to the comforts of home. There is nothing better than returning from chores, opening the front door and being greeted by the wonderful aroma of dinner in the oven and a warm fire. With that said, I have decided to use Wednesday to start a new thread...What's for dinner Wednesdays. What's for dinner Wednesdays will feature some of my favorite lamb recipes and hopefully give readers a little bit of inspiration to try new recipes featuring lamb. So What's for your dinner tonight?

When one is talking comfort food, it doesn't get much better than a good old-fashioned shepherd's pie. Who can argue with the savory flavors of a rich and meaty casserole combined with the smooth and hearty texture of fluffy mashed potatoes?

Growing up in a genetic line of cooks who thinks a measuring cup is merely a suggestion, I took it upon myself to put my own spin on this casserole. Feel free to do the same and make this wonderful dish your own. It is quick, easy and simple to make.


Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb
1 onion chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 t. minced garlic
1-2 cups of chopped mixed vegetables (frozen carrots, corn green beans and peas)
4-6 medium/large potatoes
1-2 cans of tomato soup
Handful of Brown Sugar
1-2 T. of Worcestershire Sauce
Butter/Sour Cream/Milk for mashed potatoes
Salt
Pepper


Directions

1. Brown lamb burger with chopped onions, peppers, and garlic. Drain excess juices at the end of the process.

2. In a casserole dish, place browned burger, onions, peppers, and garlic. Add in frozen veggies (feel free to add or delete to suit your taste). Stir in tomato soup to desired consistency. Add brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Salt and Pepper to taste.

3. While the lamburger is browning, boil water and cook potatoes to desired consistency for thick mashed potatoes. Mash potatoes, adding butter, sour cream and milk to suit your tastes. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Once you have assembled meat, soup and seasonings in the casserole dish, top the mixture with about 1-1 1/2 inches of mashed potatoes.

5. Cover dish with lid or tin foil and place in oven to cook at 350* F. Cook for approximately 45 minutes-1 hour removing the lid part way through the process to let the potatoes brown. Basically all ingredients are cooked in the casserole so the baking process is just to achieve the desired warmth and consistency preferred by the cook.


Serve this dish with steamed cauliflower topped with shredded cheddar cheese and a cut-up mango or other fruit and a glass of cold milk. Mmmm.....



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