Classic Irish Shepherds Pie

 The Best Classic Shepherd's Pie - AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked.

Ingredients

Meat Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 garlic cloves -minced
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

Potato Topping:

• 1 1/2 - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
• 1/3 cup half & half
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make the Meat Filling.

• Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
• Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the potato topping.

• Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
• Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
• Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
• Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.

Assemble the casserole.

• Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
• If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Notes

*If you can’t find frozen mixed peas and carrots, you could use 1/2 cup frozen peas and 1/2 cup frozen sliced carrots.

**Bake at 400° F.  Start preheating the oven after you make the meat mixture (listed in step 6).
FROM:  The Wholesome Dish

Sweet Potato Au Gratin

1 Cup Milk

1 Pint (2 Cups) Heavy Cream

¼ Teas Ground Nutmeg

¼ Teas Ground Cinnamon

1 Teas Salt

¼ Teas Ground Black Pepper

3 Lbs. Sweet Potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

1 TBL. Chopped fresh Parsley Leaves

GRATIN:

2 TBL. Butter, cut into chunks plus more for baking dish

¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs

¼ Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese

Directions

In a large saucepan combine milk, cream, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Gently fold in sweet potatoes. Bring to a simmer and allow sauce to thicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Butter a 3-Quart baking dish. Combine the bread crumbs, butter and Cheddar Cheese to make the gratin topping. Transfer the potato mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the gratin topping. Bake until the potatoes are cooked through, about 35 to 45 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Creamy and Spicy Corn Soup

I have always been a huge fan of corn soup.
I love the sweetness of fresh corn, and truthfully, all of the cream and butter in the recipe.

Whenever we have a choice between a cream-based soup and a broth-based soup, we usually choose the cream-based soup.

So I decided that I was going to makeover Creamy Corn Soup, healthier, without using any actual cream in the recipe.  Instead I added vegetable broth and potato for that “creamy” feeling, warm spices like cumin and chili powder, and fun toppings like tomatoes and cilantro for some texture and flavor.

It was a huge success.
This soup is great for summer – when you can get wonderful fresh corn and tomatoes. But fresh frozen corn is still delicious.  And with the warming spices, I’d say this soup transitions really nicely all year round.

You can add just about any toppings to this soup and it will still taste great. For a twist on this recipe, try adding avocado, guacamole, or crushed tortilla chips.

We ate so much of this soup we didn’t have any leftovers!
And the best part is, it took less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish.

The Ingredients
Serves 3

5 ears fresh sweet corn
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/2 a medium yukon gold potato, chopped
2-3 cups vegetable stock (the more stock you add, the thinner your soup will be)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp chili powder
A pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp black pepper

The Directions
Step 1: Cut the onion, potato, and trim the corn kernels off the 5 ears of corn.

Step 2: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, saute for 5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the potato and broth, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are very soft – about 10 minutes. Then add the fresh corn and cook through for a couple minutes more.

Step 3: Add a bit more vegetable broth if your soup mixture looks too thick. Add all of your spices (cumin, chili powder, cayenne, black pepper). Then puree with an immersion/hand blender, or with a regular blender/food processor. 

Step 4: Top with a variety of toppings: cilantro, tomatoes, fresh corn, crushed corn chips, avocado, or anything else you can think of!

This soup is so rich and flavorful, it tastes like it was made with a ton of butter and cream, but you can enjoy it totally guilt free!