Cottage Pie / Shepherds Pie

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with lamb or mutton. In the United States it is typically made with beef. The English, Australians and NewZealanders call the beef version a "cottage pie". Naming conventions aside, Shepherd's Pie is a layered casserole dish .The bottom layer has cooked meat and vegetables and the top layer consists of mashed potatoes.This is then baked until the top is slightly browned.Unlike standard pies, cottage or shepherd's pie does not include a bottom pastry crust.

Ingredients:

1. Ground beef - 1.5 lb (substitute with ground lamb or mutton if desired)
2. Yellow onion - 1 chopped
3. Vegetables - 1.5 cups (carots,peas,corn,bell pepper,mushroom etc can be used) I used cauliflower,mushroom,carrots and bell pepper and spring onion.
4. Butter - 1 tbsp
5. garlic - 3 cloves chopped fine
6. Worcestershire sauce - 1 tsp
7. Soy sauce - 2 tsp
8. Steak seasoning - 1 tsp (optional)
9. Chilly powder - 1 tsp(optional)
10. Crushed black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Mashed Potatoes - made with 2 lb potatoes

1. Potatoes - 2 lb
2. Butter - 5 tbsp
3. Cream/Milk - 1/2 cup
4. Garlic powder and Onion powder - 1/2 tsp each (Optional)
5. salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes).
Drain the potatoes and put it back on the stove to dry up any remaining mositure.
Turn the flame off and add the garlic/onion powder , butter and cream and mash well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of butter and saute the garlic, when it becomes soft add the chopped onions and then the vegetables according to cooking time.Adding the ones that take longer to cook initially.
Add in the soysauce,Worcestershire sauce , crushed pepper, chilly powder and steak seasoning and stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add ground beef and sauté until it is no longer pink.Cook this for 10 minutes , if the mixture starts getting dry add in few tbsp of water or stock.
Take an oven proof baking dish and add a layer of the beef mixture at the bottom and pat it into a flat bed.
Distribute mashed potatoes on top and smooth it with the back of a spoon dipped in water.
Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks. When broiled the tips of the peaks should brown up and give it a rustic look.
Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Set the oven to Broil mode and finish it up under the broiler for the last few minutes.