Shepherd's Pie

I wanted to find something interesting to do with ground beef... I'm not a chili person usually but I was going to try it until I came across this recipe for Shepherd's Pie. I love potatoes and using them as a crust instead of cheese was a heavenly idea, since I'm lactose intolerant and hubby has caught my problem too it seems.

Easy Shepherd's Pie Recipe adapted from SimplyRecipes.com

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Americans typically make Shepherd's Pie with beef. The English (and Australians and New Zealanders) call the beef dish a "cottage pie". Naming conventions aside, Shepherd's Pie is essentially a casserole, lined with cooked meat and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes, and baked.

1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
1 onion chopped
1-2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (3 big ones)
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup broth, any kind
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
Salt, pepper to taste

1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).

2 While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 Tablespoons butter (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan.

3 Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

4 Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper. Add worcesterchire sauce, garam masala and chili powder. Add half a cup of broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more broth as necessary to keep moist.

5 Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste.

6 Place beef and onions in baking dish. Distribute mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use the fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well. Sprinkle paprika evenly over potatoes.

7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown.

Serves four.