Shepherd's Pie

By ebdonahue

Ingredients

• 2 pounds potatoes (Russet, Yukon or red), peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup cream (for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from thecomfortofcooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour into a large bowl. Add sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Mash or blend with a hand mixer until smooth. Transfer potatoes to another medium bowl and wash pot, to be used for the gravy.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef. Season with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

In the clean pot, over medium heat, add butter and flour. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy for 1 minute. Pour over skillet of meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Evenly spoon potatoes over meat. Sprinkle with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat, until potatoes are evenly browned. Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Enjoy!