Shepherd's Pie

One of the most delicious meals I've ever had came from McGuire's Irish Pub in (my hometown) of Pensacola, Florida. They have a variety of out-of-this-world good foods, but my favorite is definitely the Shepherd's Pie. I've tried before to recreate the recipe, but no luck. This is my second attempt, and although the meat mixture is not quite the same, the potatoes are definitely getting closer to the McGuire's taste, probably thanks to the paprika and broiled potatoes.

Enjoy!

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 to 1 & 1/2 cups frozen mixed veggies (or veggies of your choice)*
- 1 pkg. McCormick's Low Sodium Brown Gravy Mix (prepared per package instructions)*
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 medium baking potatoes
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
- Salt/Pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon paprika
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Garlic powder and onion powder to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

- Peel potatoes, cut into medium sized chunks and place in a large pot that is 2/3 full with water. Add a few dashes of salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain excess water.
- While the potatoes are boiling, brown beef and diced onion in skillet until fully cooked. Drain and rinse off excess grease. Pour into large mixing bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add frozen veggies to ground beef/onion bowl.
- Add Worcestershire Sauce to the prepared gravy mixture, mix well.
- Pour gravy over beef/onion/veggie mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Pour beef mixture into a 2 quart glass baking dish.

- In a separate bowl, use a potato masher or fork to mash and combine the potatoes, milk, parsley, and butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover the beef mixture with the potatoes until all of the beef is fully covered.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until meat mixture is heated thoroughly.
- Move rack to top position in oven and turn setting to "broil".
- Broil casserole for 5 minutes, checking mid-way to make sure that the top of the potatoes are browning evenly.
- Remove from oven, sprinkle with paprika and cheese, then return to broiler for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with a salad and enjoy! :)

*For the veggies, we used about 3/4 C. mixed frozen veggies consisting of green beans, corn, carrots, and peas, plus an additional 1/2 C. of frozen corn.
*The meat was well moistened with the amount of gravy used, however an additional 1/4 C to 1/2 C gravy might have been better. If you have it available, use it.