Family-Sized Shepherd’s Pie

Posted byeminate00Posted inMains, WhatsforDinnerTags:, , ,

This recipe is called ‘Family-Sized’ because it makes enough to feed my family of 6, including 3 teenagers. It’s my Shepherd’s Pie recipe that I’ve made for YEARS. The part that has always given me the biggest headache is the mashed potatoes on top. I’ve been notorious for producing gummy, pasty mashed potatoes without any idea of what I was doing wrong. Well, it turns out it was the potatoes I was using. The consensus on the web is that red and white potatoes, which are ‘waxy’, make the dreaded potato paste, while ‘starchy’ potatoes like Russets or Yukon Golds make fluffy, smooth mashed potatoes. What also helps is drying the potatoes slightly after you have cooked them, but before you mash them. You do this by transferring them back to the pot they were cooked in after they’re drained and place it back on the burner (now turned off) for about a minute to evaporate any remaining moisture.

And one final tip … always season your ground beef after the excess fat has been drained away, otherwise some of that seasoning will flow away with the fat!

Beef Base Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 lbs lean ground beef
  • 2 c frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, beans)
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 c flour
  • 2 – 3 c part-skim (2%) milk

Mashed Potato Ingredients:

  • 10-12 small to medium Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes
  • 1/2 c part-skim (2%) milk
  • 1/4 c butter
  • 3/4 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Peel potatoes and cut so they are all about the same size. Boil them until tender.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large fry pan. Cook the onions and garlic for 1-2 minutes, then add the ground beef.
  4. Brown the ground beef, then drain as best as possible but it’s ok to have a little of the fat still in there, it will help form the gravy.
  5. Add in the frozen vegetables and the first amount of salt and pepper.
  6. Sprinkle the meat mixture with the flour and stir slightly.
  7. Add the first amount of milk, starting with just 2 cups, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until a gravy forms. If it appears dry, add more milk.
  8. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them then add the second amount of milk, butter and second amount of salt, then mash with a potato masher or a hand-blender.
  9. Place the meat mixture in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top.
  10. Optional: you can now make it fancy by making designs on the top with a fork and sprinkling with a little bit of paprika.
  11. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
  12. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.

Nutritional Information*

Servings: 10

Calories: 400

Total Fat: 15.2 g

Saturated Fat: 7.7 g

Total Carbohydrates: 35.1 g

Dietary Fiber: 2.9 g

Sugar: 5.8 g

Protein: 24.8 g

*Nutritional Information estimated using MyFitnessPal

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