Beef Shepards Pie

Here is what you need:

3 carrots, cut in 1 or 2 inch pieces

1 onion, half diced and half cut into rough wedges

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt, pepper and dried Italian herbs, to taste

1 lb. ground beef

1 garlic clove, minced

1 ¼ cups beef broth

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. thyme

1 cup frozen peas

3 cups instant mashed potatoes

Heat oven to 425º. Place carrots and onion wedges in 9 x 13 baking dish; toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until fork-tender.

Meanwhile, brown the ground beef, diced onion and garlic in a large skillet.

Drain excess fat. Combine beef broth, cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce and spices in a separate bowl. Pour liquid over meat and simmer over medium heat until rich and bubbly. If desired, chop roasted vegetables into smaller pieces. Add peas and roasted vegetables to meat mixture; pour into a casserole dish. Top with prepared mashed potatoes. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown. Serves 6.

This was amazingly delicious. So much flavor to this casserole. I loved it. I actually followed this recipe totally to the T except that I use canned Peas because I hate frozen peas. Normally, I wouldn't of oven cooked the carrots, but it actually is done while you are doing everything else. The recipe calls for 3 cups of prepared mashed potatoes. I used 2 of the packs that come in the Betty Crocker box. (Butter and Herb). I probably should have used 3 packets of those (1 1/2 boxes) because as you will see in the below picture, the sauce from the beef bubbled up over the potatoes. If you have a thicker layer, it might not happen to you. (That is, if you care what your presentation looks like.)....(I obviously didn't)  I also let the beef cook for a while extra in the sauce and my house smelled so good while this was cooking.  I knew it was going to be good and it definitely didn't disappoint.

Hope you like it too!

From the archives of the Midwest Culinary Institute and Kroger magazine.