Called on to Feed the Family...Shepherd's Pie to the Rescue

Two of my three sisters are in the midst of moving "home" - not back in the my parents, but back to the family farm. This means we've all been called on to help. I've painted, packed, and babysat in the last several weeks all in the name of family!

On Saturday, my youngest nephew hung out with me while his mom (Did I mention she's 8+ months pregnant?), his paternal grandparents and his paternal great-grandma (Did I mention she's 80?) cleaned their new house in preparation for the big move on Sunday.

After a long day, I knew his mama wouldn't feel up to cooking so I decided to fix one of my all-time favorite dishes for all of my sisters and their families...well, one brother-in-law and two nephews were at Monster Jam.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe was given to me by a dear friend (who I totally owe an email or letter) many years ago and it's become a favorite of both me and my mom. There are some shortcuts you can do to speed along the process...I'll mention those below.

On Saturday, I had a 2-lb. package of ground beef in the freezer so I doubled the recipe. Good thing I did! Very little of this pie was left in the dish after supper!.

First, I fixed two pouches of instant mashed potatoes (the baby red kind) according to the instructions on the package and set those aside.

Then I cooked up my ground beef, drained and then added carrots. (Of course, I forgot to take pictures along the way.)

To that, I added a little bit of flour, salt 'n pepper and beef broth. I cooked that up until it thickened.

While the meat and carrots were cooking, I mixed a couple of eggs into the mashed potatoes. Then I put the meat mixture into a greased baking dish and spread the potatoes on top.

I baked it for about 25 minutes and then wrapped it up to take to my sister's. Once there I baked it for about 10 more minutes and then added cheese on top and baked for 5 more minutes.

I served it up with some broccoli (gotta love the Steamfresh frozen veggies) and followed the meal with some just out of the oven chocolate chip cookies (Toll House refrigerated, of course).

Totally forgot to take a photo of the finished dish...oh well!

If you have a meat and potatoes-loving family, this is a must try dish!

Shepherd's Pie

1 (22 oz.) package frozen mashed potatoes, or real ones (or ones from a box or refrigerated container)
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 c. sliced carrots
2 T. flour
2 t. salt, divided
1/2 t. pepper, divided
1 c. beef broth
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/2 c. shredding Cheddar cheese
Garnish: chopped parsley (optional)

Cook potatoes according to package directions; set aside.

Brown beef and onion in skillet over med-high heat. Drain and return to skillet; add carrot. Stir in flour, 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Add broth and cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 11 x 7 baking dish.

Stir together potatoes, egg and remaining 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Spoon over beef mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and back for 5 more minutes. Garnish if desired.