Cottage Pie

 In my quest to come up with different things to do with ground beef (save $!), I learned something new! Sheppard’s pie is not actually made with beef. It is made with lamb . “Cottage Pie” is made with beef so we are kickin’ it old English style with a very easy, very comforting Cottage Pie recipe-which makes sense right? You can just see yourself in some cozy cottage by a fire with this dinner-and of course- a big glass of red wine!  We’ve been living in super freezing temps in Atlanta over the past couple of days so we’ve earned this luxury!  And a topping that is just the definition of comfort food-mashed potatoes done right! So enjoy this one and get cozy tonight!
Serves 4 in about 30 minutes for about $2.50/person 

• 1 ½ Lbs. Potatoes (about 3 large potatoes), cubed into ½” cubes & boiled in salted waiter until tender & drained
• 2 Tbs. Margarine
• ¼ C Sour cream
  ¼ C Milk
• Salt & pepper
• 2 Tbs. Canola oil (Olive oil will work as well)
• 1 Medium Onion, Chopped
• 1 C Carrots, chopped into ½’ chunks
• 1 ½ Lb. Lean ground beef
• 2 Tbs. fresh or 2 Tsp. dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano…
• 3 Tbs. Flour        
• 2 C Beef broth
• ½ Can tomato paste
• 1 Can Peas, drained
• ¼ C Green onions chopped (optional)
• ¼ C Cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Add margarine and next 2 ingredients to potatoes and salt & pepper to taste
3. Using an electric mixer, hand masher, potato ricer or fork mash potatoes until fluffy & smooth
4. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large sauté pan
5. Add onion, carrot & herbs to mixture and sauté 5 minutes
6. Add ground beef to onion mixture and cook until done, reduce heat
7. Add flour to mixture and stir well
8. Now add beef broth and tomato paste to mixture, turn heat back up and continue to stir until thickened
9. Add peas and season with salt & pepper to taste
10. Spread beef mixture into a greased 2 quart casserole dish
11. Spread potatoes on top, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese and green onions
12. Bake for 15 minutes

A hearty one dish meal that will make any night special!