Shepherd's Pie

This is the Shepherd's Pie recipe that my mother and father developed years ago. It is actually the only Shepherd's Pie I have ever tasted, but I have read recipes for others, and know there are many variations on this one simple dish. This casserole is ages old, and was originally created as a stragetic and delicious way to use up leftovers. A simple combination of any ground meat, leftover mashed potatoes, and any old vegetables in the fridge. Tie this together with a sauce, based on broth, canned soup, or boullion and add some cheese or egg if you wish.

Our Shepherd's pie starts with frying up fresh onion and mushrooms with ground beef. Add in some corn, sometimes peas, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Spread it in a casserole dish and top with fluffy mashed potatoes. Then bake it until hot throughout. A new trick we use that I discovered is to top the potatoes with butter and broil them for the last few minutes of baking until golden. This just gives the pie a bit of a richer flavour and nice appearance.

A lovely, warm comforting dish for a slightly chilly fall day!