Shepherd's Pie

Inspired by the latest episode of MasterChef I decided to give my own go at Shepherd's Pie. The Shepherd's Pie I grew up with involved cream of mushroom soup and canned green beans. It never appealed to me. In my farm fresh produce box this week I got green beans and potatoes. I also had some corn I had decobbed and frozen a few weeks ago and my delicious Piedmontese ground beef. I had all the makings for a possibly delicious Shepherd's Pie. I searched for a recipe and didn't find any that I liked so I forged ahead and came up with my own. It was delicious. I never thought I would say this but here I go: I love Shepherd's Pie.


Meat Filling:
1 lb ground beef (of course you can use ground lamb if you are privileged enough to have access to that sort of deliciousness)
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

vegetable Layer:
2 lbs Fresh Green Beans, snapped and stringed
1 cup Corn Kernels
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder

**Note: You can mix up the vegetables to your likings. I would love to have used carrots, but they weren't in my produce box this week.

Mashed Potatoes:
6 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt

Cheese to top. I would highly recommend using a smoked cheddar, but choose what suites your fancy (and your budget)



1. Boil the potatoes until soft, 15-20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, steam the green beans until soft, 10-15 minutes.

3. Also meanwhile (this is a multi-tasking dish), saute your ground beef, bell pepper, and onion until the beef is cooked through. Add in the flour and stir until mixed enough that you can't see the flour (this will allow the sauce to thicken without the flour clumping). Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. By this point the potatoes should be done. Mash them up and mix in the butter, cream cheese, and salt until everything is melted and fluffy.

5. Mix the green beans and corn with the seasonings.

6. In 6 ramekins (or one giant casserole dish) put your Pie together. Bottom: meat, Middle: vegetables, Top: Potatoes. Top with cheese.

7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes.