Shepherd's Pie

Last night was a meat and potatoes sort of night, so I felt like attempting a recipe I'd never made before: shepherd's pie.  Now as is the story of my life, I didn't have as many ingredients as I would've liked, but I was not about to head out to the grocery store, so I made do, and I was actually pretty pleased with the results. 

Ingredients: 1.25 lb ground beef, 3 carrots peeled and sliced, 1 small leek sliced, 1/4 onion chopped, 2 cloves garlic diced, 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, olive oil, salt/pepper/coriander/cumin, 1/4 cup broth or white wine, mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare your mashed potatoes.  I used 3 russet potatoes, mashed them with milk, butter, salt/pepper, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  

Begin the filling by sauting your vegetables in a little olive oil with some salt and pepper.  Throw in whatever veggies you have, I would have added mushrooms had they been in my fridge.  After about 7 minutes of softening, add the ground beef. 

Cook over medium heat until browned.  Mix in a dash of spices like cumin and coriander and add your fresh herbs.  If you want to be healthier, drain the fat at this point.  If you don't care add the broth or wine now.  At this point I would have liked to add some tomato paste or sauce, but alas I had none of that either.

Fill a baking dish with your meat and veggies, spread mashed potatoes on top and bake in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.  Finish with about 5 minutes under the broiler to get that characteristic golden brown topping. 

The baking allows the carrots to soften, but since everything is already cooked through you can bake as long or as short as you'd like.