Favorite Food Fridays-Shepherd's Pie

Here is the recipe Noah and I used for our cooking lesson this week. I tweaked it just a bit to satisfy our personal tastes, so I think it is just about perfect. This recipe will serve 4. We doubled it, which meant that we could enjoy leftovers for lunch the next day!

Shepherd's Pie

3 large potatoes, peeled and halved
2 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. milk
1 T. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1/2 t. thyme
1 T. parsley
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 c. frozen baby peas

1. Cook potatoes in 2 quarts boiling salted water until soft (about 15-20 minutes)/

2. Drain off water, add butter, salt and pepper. Mash potatoes, adding enough milk to make a smooth mixture. Set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large skilet and saute onion until soft. Stir in ground beef, carrot, thyme, parsley, and garlic. Cook until beef is browned, stirring frequently. Stir in soy sauce and peas. Bring to a simmer.
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4. Whisk cornstarch into water and once well-mixed pour straight into beef mixture. Stir well and simmer for 4 minutes allowing mixture to thicken. (Now, at this point, use your own judgement as to whether this makes it moist enough for your personal taste. The original recipe didn't have any sauce, but we added the cornstarch and water to give it a bit of gravy to keep it moist.)

5. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.

6. Pour into a greased deep pie dish. Top with mashed potatoes and swirl with a fork to distribute them evenly and create an attractive pattern.

7. Bake the pie on the middle rack of an oven heated to 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Serve immediately.