Eatin' Like a Shepherd

I'll never forget the look and smell of
one of my favorite meals growing up.
Shepherd's Pie.
Even though I was never fond of veggies
until my later teen years and young adult life,
when my mom prepared this meal I was in heaven.
Shepherd's Pie was one of those comfort foods
that comforted AND
would trick me into eating a few veggies.

My mom always made her Shepherd's Pie
in a good ol' seasoned black iron skillet.
Oh, if THAT skillet could talk!
I remember she would dollop those
homemade mashed potatoes on top,
in five or six mounds, so we would all know
where our serving/portion was.

Then, as if all of that wasn't enough,
there would be shredded cheese
on each mound of potatoes.
Ohh the cheese.
As a kid, melted cheddar on mashed potatoes
was like dying and going to heaven.
At the time, it seemed to be ingenious!
Of course, we used to call it 'grated' cheese -
because we NEVER, EVER,
bought pre-packaged 'shredded' cheese.
Oh no.
Grating that big ol' block of cheddar
was a weekly chore for one of us girls.

Shepherd's Pie has been around since
the late 1700's when it was known as Cottage Pie.
Same principle pretty much -
leftover meat with potatoes on top and/or bottom,
with variations of meats used through the years.
We've always stuck with ground beef for ours.

If you've never tried this classic dish,
please do so as soon as possible!

WHAT YOU NEED:
(to serve 4-6)

1-1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 batch pre-made mashed potatoes
(for us, 8-10 med. potatoes to make homemade
or 2 envelopes if using instant)

2 cans 'Veg-All', as mom used
(on the canned veggie aisle)

OR
1 med. bag frozen veggies, thawed
(green beans, sweet peas, cubed carrots)

1 can petite diced tomatoes, OPTIONAL
OR
1 can mild rotel tomatoes, if you'd like some spice

(sometimes we do, sometimes we do neither!)

appx. 2 cups shredded cheddar

the spice trinity
salt/pepper/garlic powder

green onions to garnish, optional

your favorite baking dish
(iron skillet, 9x13, or other)

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 350.
In a medium saute pan, brown the ground beef.
Don't forget to season the meat while cooking.
(salt, pepper, garlic powder)

Drain when cooked.
Place cooked beef in a dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Spread canned or thawed frozen veggies
on top of prepared beef.
Season a bit with salt/pepper

Prepare mashed potatoes.
Homemade, semi-homemade, whatever works for you.
(We do both.  Depends on how hungry we are.)
Either dollop or spread potatoes
over beef and veggie mixture.

Finally, sprinkle shredded cheddar,
as much as desired, on top of potatoes.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 30 minutes
or until bubbly and golden.

Mmmmm.
ENJOY!!!