shepherd's pie

 i love shepherd's pie, the first time i had it was about 3 years ago... and the person who introduced me to it was one of the first people i met in my running club, he lost his battle with cancer a few months ago which is why shepherd's pie is even dearer to my heart.  the version i shared with him was made with lamb and flavored with guinness, what more could you ask for?

shepherd's pie is hearty and it doesn't take a long time like most hearty dishes

i was trying to figure out what to do with the cauliflower in my fridge and i know plenty of people do a mashed cauliflower to be fake potatoes, so i thought shepherds pie with cauliflower AND potatoes!

   

honestly, the finished mashed "potatoes" didn't look that great in the pot, there was a bit more texture to the cauliflower no matter how much i mashed, the cauliflower florets went right through the holes of my potato masher, that's okay, it still tasted wonderful, and i usually prefer my mashed potatoes with texture anyways

start with mushrooms, onions, and thyme

this was good enough to eat, and i did!

meat and potatoes, yummy!

shepherd's pie

1 lb small potatoes

1 head cauliflower florets

1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream

1.5 tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb ground beef

2 yellow onions, chopped

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp all purpose flour or cornstarch

1 cup beef broth

salt

freshly ground pepper

Parmesan cheese, grated

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for cauliflower and potatoes.

Brown ground beef in a large skillet on medium heat, about 10 minutes.  Set aside ground beef on a plate and drain excess fat. 

Saute chopped onions until transluscent, about 5 minutes on medium heat.  Add mushrooms and thyme and saute until mushrooms are cooked.

Add browned beef to pan along with beef broth and all purpose flour or cornstarch to deglaze the pan of any browned bits.   

Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Transfer beef mixture to a casserole dish.

Preheat oven to 350`F.

Add cauliflower and potatoes to pot of boiling water.  

Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  Drain.  

Put potatoes and cauliflower back into pot and add heavy cream and butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mash until desired consistency, adding more cream as needed.  Adjust seasonings as necessary. 

Top casserole dish with mashed vegetables and spread evenly. 

Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy.

on-on