Shepherd's Pie

While I have been focusing on my pastry projects, this is still baking, but more on the savoury side. I grew up with shepherd's pie being a fairly regular dinner choice, but have never made it myself. It's a great winter meal and it's so great to have your dinner all contained in one dish complete with your protein, vegetables and topped with dreamy whipped carbs. I reviewed several different recipes and conferred with my mum who is visiting to decide how I wanted to make it. I chose to use ground beef this first time around as my daughter would be more likely to eat it, but I'd like to try using lamb or ground turkey next time. I made a nice sauce to mix in with the beef that consisted of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and some flour to thicken it. I mixed the beef mixture with fresh carrots and frozen peas. Another time I might include corn or maybe even some sauteed mushrooms. For the potato topping, I used yukon gold potatoes that I boiled and mashed, then mixed with some white cheddar, cream and some chives that I had frozen from our herb garden. Next time, I'd like to try mixing the regular potato in with some mashed turnips. Finally, I topped it with more white cheddar that melted nicely on top when it baked. It was a great comfort food meal!