All food is comfort food. Maybe I just like to chew. – Lewis Black

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe. But this one is so simple and – this time at least – so amazingly delicious I believe it is time to share.

One of the most enjoyable things about cooking is when I get to take something very basic and elevate it. Not that my mother’s Shepherd’s Pie needed any help.

At the same time, my mum would never have done anything like sauté onions, or chop and crush fresh garlic, or involve something exotic like freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Also she would likely argue that what I have created is not really a Shepherd’s Pie but, instead, a “Cottage Pie” because of the vegetables. Then she always made her Shepherd’s Pie with ground mutton, not ground beef.

Regardless, this is what I cooked for Saturday evening and I have to say that it was amazing. Rebekah agrees.

Step by Step:

First, sauté the onion and the garlic. It’s important to take your time here, so the onion is properly caramelized. Then add some lean ground beef and brown it.

In the meanwhile, prepare a cup of brown gravy and two cups of mixed vegetables.

Now add the gravy to the browned beef mixture, season with a little salt, and simmer. When the mixed vegetables are cooked (I like to use the Birds Eye steam-fresh mixture) add them in a layer on top of the ground beef, onions and gravy. (By the way, I always use my 46-year-old – and richly seasoned over time – iron skillet for this kind of preparation.)

Next, add a layer of mashed potatoes. You can elevate this dish even more by making real mashed potatoes, but I find the Idahoan instant potatoes to be more than satisfactory.

Then, finally, I add a thin layer of grated parmesan cheese and Colby Jack cheese on top of the mashed potatoes before putting my skillet in the (preheated) oven, covered, for a good 35-minutes at 330-degrees.

The verdict:

Shepherd’s Pie is always a great meal. But this time my creation turned out to be better than good (hence this post).

The last few times Rebekah and I have hosted dinner guests I prepared something fairly complex. Maybe next time it will be some good old Shepherd’s Pie?

Comfort food for the win!

Here are all the stages, in order. Enjoy! – DEREK