Paul's Shepherd's Pie

I have to credit my dad for this one! Growing up, Dad had one or two nights a week to cook dinner and our most frequently requested dish was his "famous" Shepherd's Pie. After receiving lots of requests for the recipe over the past few years that I have been making it, I am finally able to share it with you. With Dad's permission, of course!

For those that don't know (or do know), my dad is kind of a bad-ass. He's an avid hiker and adventurer, and has instilled the love of the outdoors in myself and my two brothers. He's a pretty awesome dad, so I couldn't get away with creating this post and not adding a photo of him in his total bad-assery! I took this photo while thru-hiking with Dad and my brothers in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness area of the Northern Colorado range of the Rocky Mountains.

Special Tips:

• Using softened butter in the mashed potatoes will make them creamier, and give the perfect texture to top the beef mixture
• The more tender you get the potatoes during boiling, the creamier your mashed potatoes will be. I'm all for chunky mashed potatoes, but creamier potatoes work better for this pie!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs of potatoes, peeled, quartered
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 can Campbell's tomato soup
• 1 can cut green beans
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mashed Potato Layer:

1. Add peeled and quartered potatoes to cold water
2. Bring water to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low-medium; boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender
3. Drain the water from the pot
4. Add 1/2 cup milk and 3 tbsp soft butter
5. Mash until the potatoes are mixed enough to stir
6. Stir with a wooden spoon or mix further with a handheld mixer
7. Add salt and pepper to potatoes until you get the desired flavor
8. Add additional milk and butter as needed to make the mixture creamy
9. Put the mashed potatoes aside until the ground beef mixture is done

Ground Beef Layer:

1. Brown the ground beef in a pan on medium heat
2. Drain excess fat from the pan
3. Add tomato soup and green beans (drained) to the beef
4. Salt and pepper to taste
5. Mix together and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thicker
6. Remove from heat

Make the Pie:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease an 8x8 inch baking pan
3. Add ground beef mixture to the greased pan and use a spatula to depress the mixture into an even layer
4. Add the potatoes on top of the ground beef mixture by spooning them on top
5. Carefully spread the potatoes over the beef layer with a clean spatula
6. Salt and pepper the top of the potatoes for a little extra flavor
7. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the beef mixtures begins to bubble
8. Remove from over and rest for 10 minutes before serving

Extra Love:

• Add cheddar cheese on top of the potatoes or between the beef and potato layers for a little extra flavor! 
• Experiment with different vegetables like frozen peas!
• This dish reheats fairly well, but will do best with a little extra butter on hand in case the potatoes become dry

I hope you enjoy Paul's Shepherd's Pie! Let me know in the comments how it went!

As always, cook with love.