Shepherd's Pie

Disclaimer: this is not a traditional English shepherd's pie, but it's just as tasty. The spice combination gives it a unique flavor, which I have enjoyed for several years since first discovering this recipe.

Shepherd's Pie
Adapted from Emeril Lagasse's "There's a Chef in My Family" 
6 servings

Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used 80% lean)
3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp thyme leaves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup beef broth (I used the full 14.5 oz container, which is roughly 2 cups, but that does make the pie more liquidy)
3/4 cup diced carrots
2/3 cup frozen peas (do not thaw)
2/3 cup frozen corn kernels (do not thaw)
2 tsp tomato paste (optional)
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese (roughly 2 oz)

1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.

2. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes and 1 tsp of the salt. Fill with just enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Reduce heat to medium and cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.

4. While the potatoes are cooking chop the onions and mince the garlic. Fun fact: you can freeze onions by mistake! I inadvertently did this while away in Boston and came back to a whole bag of frozen onions, but do not despair, they are still usable in recipes such as these. The only catch is that you can't defrost them or they'll go mushy, so instead just chop them while frozen and prepare a splatter shield for when you add them to the hot oil. Also, the easiest way to mince the garlic is to first remove it from its outer shell, which is best done by crushing it under the flat side of a kitchen knife, as demonstrated below. Once removed from its shell, you can mince the garlic in three ways: by hand (old school), with a small food processor, or with a garlic press. I used a garlic press, and if you don't have one I would highly recommend them, as it made the job so much easier.

Place the garlic clove under the knife

Gently apply pressure with your hand, until you hear and feel the garlic shell break.

5. At this point the potatoes should be done cooking. Turn off the stove and remove them from the pot, placing them in a medium mixing bowl. Add the butter, milk, heavy cream, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and 1/8 tsp of the black pepper. Mash with a potato masher for chunky potatoes, or use an electric mixer for smoother ones. Once done, set aside.

6. In a large skillet or pot, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft.

7. Add the garlic and cook for roughly 30 seconds before adding the ground beef. Break up the beef until it is cooked through.

8. Once the meat is done cooking, gently remove some of the excess fat from the pot. This is best done by turning off the stove, gently tilting the pot to one side, and soaking up the excess fat with paper towels. Once most of the fat is removed, return the pot to medium-high heat.

9. Add the Italian seasoning, thyme, the remaining 1/2 tsp salt, the remaining 1/4 tsp black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir to mix-in all of the spices.

10. Sprinkle the meat with the flour, stirring once or twice.

11. Add the beef broth, carrots, peas, corn, and tomato paste. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.

12. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened.

13. Transfer the meat mixture to a 2-5 quart casserole or baking dish and spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over the top.

Note the sheet pan under my casserole dish. If your pie looks like it might boil over in the baking process, make sure to place it on a baking sheet to avoid a huge mess/possibility of a fire.

14. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden on top. To get a nice crisp golden brown top you might need to use the broiler for the last 4-6 minutes, depending on your oven. I was fine without the broiler.

15. Enjoy!

Fun Fact: Emeril signed my book! Well, actually my family's book, but I took it from them since they weren't putting it to good use.

Nutritional Info per Serving:
Calories 588; Total Fat 39g; Cholesterol 125mg; Sodium 1167mg; Total Carbs 32g; Protein 28g