Recipe #3

I still haven't broken into any of my actual cookbooks, but believe me, I'm getting there...


Shepherd's Pie

1 tsp vegetable oil
1-1/2 lbs lean ground beef
2 tbsp chopped onion *
1/4 tsp salt **
1/4 tsp mixed dried herbs (parsley, thyme, sage) ***
1-1/4 cups gravy or bouillon ****
1 can (12oz) corn kernels *****
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375, use a 9x13 inch baking dish
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Add beef and cook until browned. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in salt, herbs, gravy and corn.
3. Pour beef mixture into baking dish and cover with mashed potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are browned. Top with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.


* Seriously, you must go here to find the EASIEST, SIMPLEST way to chop an onion!
** When we ate this meal tonight, it was a touch on the bland side. But then I realized that I actually printed this recipe from a book called Better Baby Food. It really is a great meal for the family, the kids all loved it, but you might want to add a little more salt - before or after, depending on who is eating it.
*** Just thought I'd share that I had the Simon & Garfunkel song going through my head every time I read this line of the recipe! And in all reality, I would probably add a little rosemary to this dish the next time I make it ~ and I do plan to make it again! Also, I didn't have any dried parsley, but I did have some fresh stuff that I forgot to put into my Fettuccine Alfredo dish, so I threw that in. Eh, I think I'll buy some of the dried stuff for next time.
**** I had no idea how to make gravy - I knew it had to be a little thick, but what I bought were bouillon packets and it had no directions on how to make it into gravy. The recipe called for 1-1/4 cups of gravy - so I put one packet into 1-1/4 cups hot water. Not thick enough. So I added another packet. Not thick enough. So I added it the way it was, and it made the dish a little watery, which wasn't terrible since the mashed potatoes soaked a lot of it up. I was informed that I should have added corn starch or flour to the mix to thicken it up - or buy a gravy packet that probably tells you exactly how to make gravy.
***** My hubby hates canned corn, so I used frozen white corn. I didn't measure it *gasp*, I just threw enough in to sprinkle the dish with corn (I don't like so much corn that it overwhelms a dish).