..: Easy Shepherd's Pie

Episode after episode of Kitchen Nightmares, I watch Gordon Ramsay convince restaurant owners and chefs to add his family's Shepherd's Pie recipe to the menu. I have finally caved and tried Shepherd's pie (not the Ramsay recipe), and LOVED it! My dad and sister really enjoyed it, and in fact my dad is on his THIRD helping as I type this! I kept this recipe nice, simple, and quick to make, as the whole point of a casserole is ease and simplicity. You can click to check out the difference between this make-shift pie and an authentic one. Overall the major difference is the sauce. I have used beef gravy, while an authentic pie uses red wine, chicken stock, Worcester sauce, tomato sauce, and seasonings.

Shepherd's Pie
Yields 6 servings

To Prepare the Pie
1. Brown approximately 1 pound of ground lamb meat. I went for the authentic lamb option, but you can definitely go the route of beef, chicken, turkey, or loose tofu!
2. Dice one small onion, and 2 cloves of garlic. If you are using pre-chopped garlic, use 1 tablespoon!
3. Add the onions and garlic to the lamb.

4. After the lamb is browned, mix it in a large bowl with 2 bottles of gravy (approximately 24 ounces). Again, I opted for a beef gravy, but you could use mushroom gravy too!

5. Mix approximately 2 pounds of mixed vegetables with the lamb and gravy. I used the mix that has corn, lima beans, green beans, carrots, and peas!

6. Make two pouches of instant mashed potatoes (or 1 entire box of the Betty Crocker mixes). I opted for the creamy butter flavor, but you could definitely use another flavor...something like butter garlic, or four cheese, would taste yummy!
7. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
8. Pour the veggie and meat mixture into a casserole dish.
9. Top with the mashed potatoes. I chose to pipe mine one with a cake decorating bag and tip, but you can also spread them evenly and give it some texture by running a fork through it! You definitely want to give it a little texture though, because that is the part that is going to brown and give it a little crunch!