Comfort food reaches new heights with this veggie-laden Shepherd's Pie

I always wondered what might happen. Then I didn’t have to wonder any more. A tummy bug laid me low for the weekend—my usual prime time for cooking and blog-readying. Too yucky-feeling to lift more than a finger, I was panicked. This was zero hour for stirring things up in the kitchen, yet there I lay, stretched out on the sofa, dishrag-limp. Plus I needed some mild comfort food to try to digest for my own well-being.

Hubby to the rescue—as always. My wonder-spouse who cheerfully dashes off to the grocery at the last minute to ferry home obscure missing ingredients so I can cook some blog item stepped up to the plate (pun intended?) He’d make some of the dishes I had had on my weekend wish list! Bless him!

No better food could have existed than Shepherd’s Pie, with the recipe furnished by a recent Kroger grocery circular. It was just what the doc ordered for my recovering system—and it contained some wondrous fresh veggies that helped make it a meal-in-one.

Carrots and onion wedges roasted in olive oil in a 425-degree oven until they were tender (Hubby says 20-25 minutes wasn’t quite long enough; he went for about 35). Then the meat mixture (we subbed ground turkey), its seasonings, cornstarch, and broth simmered in a skillet until thickened; the roasted veggies stirred into that. Atop all was a layer of mashed potatoes, which can be ready-made, leftover, or instant. In our case hubby found in the veggie bin several potatoes he needed to use up. Nothing makes him jollier than being caught in the act of preventing food wastage.

Hubby muttered a little about the logistics of the assembly process (his tendency would be to get all ingredients neatly lined up on the counter first, whereas I would just fling them from the shelf as needed). But after he got in the groove, he kinda found himself having fun—and took pride in the finished product. (A future foods blogger in the making?)

Shepherd’s Pie was soothing and flavorful—best of all, in this case, it was prepared by someone else, which says something about the relative ease of this recipe. Meat and potatoes—a true guy-thing that warmed this gal’s heart.

Shepherd’s Pie

3 carrots, cut in 1- or 2-inch pieces

1 onion, half-diced and half cut in rough wedges

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt (or salt substitute), pepper, and dried Italian herbs, to taste

1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/4 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 cup frozen peas

3 cups mashed potatoes (ready-made, leftover, or instant)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place carrots and onion wedges in baking dish; toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until fork-tender. Meanwhile brown the ground beef, diced onion, and garlic in a large skillet. Drain excess fat. Combine beef broth, cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce, and spices in a separate bowl. Pour liquid over meat; simmer over medium heat until rich and bubbly. If desired chop roasted vegetables into smaller pieces. Add peas and roasted vegetables to meat mixture; pour into a casserole dish. Top with prepared mashed potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown. Serves 6.

Veggie-laden Shepherd’s Pie, with its Cheddar topping, makes a dream entree

The classic Irish dish Shepherd’s Pie, filled with all kinds of wholesome veggies and a can’t-beat Cheddar-potato topping, was an easy selection for the entree at Son-in-Law’s birthday lunch recently. Yesterday I mentioned the Southwest Skillet Corn and Zucchini that was our side dish for this birthday observance. Since Son-in-Law favors meat and potatoes and celebrates his Irish heritage, this recipe that graced the Internet as marthastewart.com recently made its St. Patrick’s Day suggestions was a perfect choice. The website marthastewart.com called the dish “happily simple”; Martha was right on that one.

Other than the veggies, the best thing about Shepherd’s Pie is that it covers lots of bases with one entree. Fluffy, golden-brown whipped potatoes, with Cheddar cheese stirred in, top the layer of meat (I subbed beef with ground turkey), carrots, celery, onion, and tomato paste. Only thing that would have made it a little better is if I had remembered to add the salt (or salt substitute) and pepper to the potatoes before I baked it. Oh, well, Son-in-Law is accustomed to having to pour salt from his shaker on anything he ingests when he dines at our place, since we’ve sworn off salt since long before he was part of our family.

One the highlights of his birthday lunch is that it marked the first time that Grandmunchkin was grown-up enough to sit at his highchair at the dining table while the rest of the family observed a proper meal. A bottle for him while the rest of the guests dined on Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s Pie, but he’ll be spooning some out of his baby dish before too many more luncheons go by.

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s Pie

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced

6 celery stalks, thinly sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup tomato paste

salt (or salt substitute) and pepper to taste

2 pounds ground-beef chuck (or ground turkey)

1 cup skim milk

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)

Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover by 1 inch with water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until meat no longer is pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set filling aside. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until all liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season potato topping with salt and pepper. Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; use a spatula to spread to edges. Using a fork make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes. (If topping and filling were chilled, increase cooking time to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.