[Sca-cooks] RE: Shepards Pie

[nickiandme at att.net]

I just made a version of this Sunday night.  Finishing up the last of it for 
lunch today.

Let's see.  My recipe was:

1 & 1/2 pounds of ground beef, cooked and drained with the fat reserved for 
making gravy.
several stalks of celery chopped
several sticks of carrots thinly coined (thin slice)
1 large onion - diced and sauteed with the ground beef.  Hey - I like onion.
2 cups of mashed potatoes
1/2 teaspoon of ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon of crushed rosemary
2 - 3 tablespoons of flour
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the ground beef with the diced onions.  Then drain the ground beef 
reserving the fat for the gravy.  Make a gravy of the reserved fat by adding 
1 cup of water and using your favorite method of mixing in the flour to make 
a gravy.

Put ground beef/onion mixture on bottom of casserole dish.  Add the rest of 
the vegetables by sprinkling evenly over the top.  Sprinkle the ground thyme 
and rosemary.  Grind some pepper to taste over all.  Sprinkle a bit of salt 
over all. Pour gravy on.  Spread the potatoes on in an even layer.  Sprinkle 
some pepper over the top.  

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until potatoes are turning a nice brown on 
top.

Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.  Serves 4 - 8 people 
depending on appetites.

I would have used lamb if I had it.  The ground beef was a reasonable 
substitution based on my budget and what I had on hand.  Heck - I got a great 
deal on it.  7 pounds for approx $10.  So, I made the Shepards pie, lasagna, 
chili and a meatloaf out of it.  I've divided everything into single servings 
and frozen it.  Voila - lunches and dinners for the next two weeks.

Kateryn de Develyn