English Cottage / Shepherds Pie

Mmmm... cottage pie, more commonly known as shepherds pie here in the US, is hearty and comforting in the winter-time. If you have any mashed potatoes left over from the holidays, this is a wonderful dish for your family to warm up their hungry tummies. It is simple to make and tastes great even if you reheat it the next day.

Here's how I made it recently:

Ingredients:
(about 6-8 servings)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 5-6 potatoes (peeled, diced)
- About 10 white mushrooms (washed and dried)
- About 10 baby carrots (washed and dried)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 pinches of sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
Mashed potatoes:
- 4-6 potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 pound shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 pound shredded Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 2: Prepare mashed potatoes. Boil up water in a big pot covering the potatoes. Place over high heat until potatoes are tender. Drain and mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter, salt and pepper to taste. Whip until fluffy. Mix in Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Set aside in a big bowl.

Step 3: Prepare the vegetables: Chop up garlic, baby carrots, red onion and white mushrooms.

Step 4: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown.

Step 5: Stir in white mushrooms. Mix in flour, parsley, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper to taste.

Step 6: Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate. Top with mashed potatoes.