Recipe Roulette

My good friend Maggie came up with a fun idea for us blogger gals. Post a recipe a day and cross-reference them on our blogs to help multiply some basic dinner ideas when we know we are all sick and tired of our usual go-to meals. Brilliant! So here is my take on Shepherd's Pie, a dish I fell in love with living in Ireland. And no, that's not me pictured below as a Top Chef. I actually took a cooking class with Nacho as a part of a holiday party a few years back. I've been wearing that hat ever since.

So, the idea with Recipe Roulette is that the dish be easy to make and easy to modify depending on tastes. I make a lot of standards (frittata, pasta with veggies and sausage, chicken cutlets and grilled asparagus) but the following Shepherd's Pie is a nice alternative when I want a meal that just screams COMFORT FOOD!!!!!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef (or turkey or lamb)
• 1 bag frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn, etc.)
• 2 pouches of instant mashed potatoes--I use the ones that come in a typical side portion for a meal but you can also just use from the box of instant potatoes or god forbid, make enough REAL mashed spuds to cover the top
• 1 packet of Shepherd's Pie seasoning (did I mention there's an Irish grocery store in my neighborhood??) OR 1-2 cubes of beef bouillon or stock depending on how saucy you like it

I start with browning the ground beef until it's no longer pink and then strain off excess liquid/fat. While that's cooking, I briefly boil the frozen veggies in salted water for 2-3 minutes and drain those. Combine the veggies in the skillet with the cooked meat. Mix packet of seasoning with half a pint of water (or follow directions for beef stock) and add to the meat/veg combo. Stir and cook for another 3-5 min.

In a separate bowl, prepare the instant mashed potatoes according to the directions. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a casserole dish or baking pan and pour the meat/veg into it. Spread the mashed potatoes on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes (depending on how hungry you are).

EAT!

To modify this recipe, I have added cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes (yum) and sometimes throw in some garlic and/or onion to the ground beef. It's pretty basic but I find that with a nice comfort meal, the day just ends on a good note.

Hope you all enjoy and for more Recipe Roulette check out Maggie's blog and more links to all the blogging gals who participated.