Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Easy recipe that my whole family loves... Shepherd's pie!

SocialMoms asked: "Do you have an easy recipe that the whole family can enjoy?"  See that question and some blog responses here.

We do have an easy recipe that my whole family can enjoy.  We make Shepherd's Pie.  It is really easy and not too time consuming.  And, more importantly, it meshes with my cooking skills, which, admittedly, are not up to a chef's standard.

I either make real mashed potatoes, depending upon whether or not I have Yukon golds in the fridge.  We love Yukons and don't really prefer the taste of other spuds.  Yukons are harder for me to get since my local grocery store tends to carry the kind that arrive all beat up, bruised or otherwise on their way out of freshness.  Since a ride to "town" is a good 36 miles, we try to stock up when we venture in to Wegmans.  I like to make a big pot of potatoes because layering is what makes it taste so good. 

I start with a thin layer of spuds on the bottom of a pan, then put some corn on top, smooshing the corn down.  Next a bit of meat, with a smidgy of gravy then a layer of mashed potatoes.  The next layer is meat and peas with another layer of mashed potatoes.  I keep layering until I hit the top and then pack down a thick layer of spuds because my husband loves it when I make the top crunchy and brown.  I reserve a cup of beef gravy for pouring on top at serving.  For veggies, I can be a bit of a snob.  If it comes in a can, I don't generally buy it.  Veggies that come in steam bags taste very fresh and don't have their color faded out and that is what I use when I make Shepherd's pie.  I pop a Steam Fresh bag of veggies in the microwave for 5 minutes to cook and then use it to make the dish.  Don't put frozen veggies in!  Your dinner won't be done on time (trust me on this one....)

Shepherd's Pie is something we all can enjoy, mainly because there's no wheat involved in making this particular dish.  I make my own gravy from bouillon cubes or gluten free pastes and have gotten pretty good making it taste almost as good as the convenient, yet wheat laden gravy packets you can buy at the store.  It's easily made and baked in about an hour and makes great left overs for the next day's lunch!

Do you have a favorite recipe?  Let me know!  I am always looking for yummy (preferably gluten free) recipes to try at home.

2 comments:

Ott, A. said...

I make shepherds pie too, but I use lamb instead of beef. it's delish!!!

Marie Anne said...

One of my absolute favorite comfort foods from my childhood! Mine is a little different, though. Just a thick layer of meat, then two cans of corn, then a thick layer of buttery mashed potatoes on top. I don't know what it is about that combination, but if you have corn and mashed potatoes at one meal, you gotta mush 'em all together!