Shepherd's Pie

A filling and comfort meal made with ground beef topped with creamy mashed potatoes.

This dish comes together quickly as it’s nothing more than ground beef and mashed potatoes. I seasoned my ground beef with lots of garlic, thyme, black pepper, and paprika. The paprika just made sense to me and the thyme is exactly what it needed. I added 2 spoonfuls of tomato paste, and gradually added beef stock throughout cooking.

Let’s get into this because now my stomach is growling.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Servings: 5

What you need:

200g ground beef

1 large chopped onion

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp white pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 large chopped tomato

2 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground or fresh thyme

1 tsp paprika

1 cup beef stock

7 large potatoes peeled and cubed

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter or ghee

1 egg

Procedure:

Heat a pan with oil over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook 5 minutes until the beef is starting to brown.

Add the onions, black pepper, white pepper and salt. Cook 4-5 minutes until the beef is completely browned. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, thyme & paprika and cook for about a minute. Add 1/4 cup of the stock, stir to combine. Keep on low-heat, while adding more stock until the filling is gravy-like. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Add the potatoes to a large pot and boil with 3/4 cup of water. Add a generous pinch of salt and boil for 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender (poke with a fork).

Turn off the heat and add the milk, butter, and a pinch of black pepper.

Mash until desired consistency achieved.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Transfer the ground beef to a baking dish; I used two small dishes. Spoon over the mashed potatoes and spread evenly, smoothing the top with the back of a spatula or spoon.

Use a fork to create a swirl pattern in the potatoes (optional).

Beat the egg in a bowl and brush it on surface of the potato layer.

Bake for 5 minutes until the egg wash is golden brown.

Serve with a salad & enjoy!