Classic Comfort Food...the Shepherd's Pie

And you don't even need real shepherds...

There are fewer dishes more comforting and easier to make than shepherd’s pie. It's part of that great British repertoire we like to call "nursery food"... for grown-ups. Shepherd’s Pie is equally at home in a large, “feed-the-forces” baking dish as it is in more elegant (and practical) individual casseroles (I love the Emile Henri miniature oven dishes - they’re the perfect size for these kinds of meals, they're available in gorgeous colors, and they also go straight from freezer to oven to table).

Shepherd’s Pie is also the ideal solution for leftover ground beef or lamb - if you don't feel like eating them the next day, make a couple anyway and stick them in the freezer until you do - they beat frozen South Beach meals any day.

If you haven’t got leftovers, you can make Shepherd's Pies easily from scratch, and if you want to pad out the meal into something more than a quick weeknight dinner, serve them with a carrot soup starter and a side of green vegetables. Stick with the comfort food theme by following up with a warm bread pudding or treacle tart.

What You Need:
Note: there are lots of options and variations for Shepherd's Pie, so I'll start with the basics and let you experiment from there. Parsnips, leeks and other root vegetables are good additions if you're so inclined, as is a bit of brown gravy. They aren't, however, requirements - and you can still enjoy a good Shepherd's Pie without such hoity-toity amendments.

• 1 1b ground beef or lamb
• four or five carrots, sliced
  
• one celery stalk, sliced
  
• 1 cup frozen peas (optional)
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
  
• 1 cube of beef stock (optional)
• brown gravy (mixed from a packet)
  
• 4 or 5 medium potatoes, mashed
• One large or three or four small/mini casserole dishes
  

What You Do:

1. Steam or nuke the carrots until soft then set them aside.
   
2. Dilute the beef stock cube in 1/2 cup of warm water and set aside.
   
3. Soften the onion and celery in a large skillet.
4. Add the ground beef or lamb and cook until brown.
5. Add the carrots, peas and beef stock.
   
6. Simmer until the mixture is reduced and is relatively thick. If you prefer a more sauce-like consistency, this is the moment to add brown gravy and a blob of tomato ketchup.
7. Spread the meat mixture across the bottom of the casserole dish in one layer.
8. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture, making sure it's all covered.
   
9. If you want, sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese over the top of the potatoes.
10. Bake, uncovered, on 350 F for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly brown and crisp on top. (If you find the cheese is burning, cover the dish loosely with a sheet of tin foil).