We each have our favorite memories and things we’d love to recreate from our college years, and for me, that memory is having Shepard’s Pie for dinner with my then, closest friends. It was the energy of chattering BFF’s chowing down on loaded mashed potatoes while side-eyeing the day’s man crush. Yum!
Shepard’s pie is native to the Northern United Kingdom, specifically Scotland, where pies were created with leftover lamb and vegetables. When the Irish began to make their own, ground beef quickly became a staple for this delicious pie and it brought a whole new meaning to “meat and potatoes.” A couple days ago I tried making it for the first time and it was delightful! My qualm with the store-bought kinds is that there’s never enough seasoning and this was what I kept in mind while prepping for the dish. It’s hearty, easy to prepare, and will impress your mother, so take a chance and make your own!
Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes
1 lb. ground beef
12 oz. frozen corn kernels
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 stick of butter
Beef:
Heat skillet, add olive oil then beef along with ½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. parsley, and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Cook until meat is brown then remove from skillet and add to baking dish.
Corn:
Place frozen corn directly on top of ground beef in baking dish.
Mashed Potatoes:
Wash and dry potatoes then cut into medium sized pieces (with skin on). Fill a pot with water then add potatoes; make sure that the water covers the potatoes and let boil on low/medium setting until potatoes are tender (about 25 mins). Once potatoes are finished cooking, pour out any remaining water from the pot then add the butter to the potatoes and using a potato masher, begin to soften and mix potatoes together with butter. After you’re finished mashing potatoes, add the remaining parsley, salt, black pepper, and garlic then continue mixing ingredients together. When you’re finished mixing, layer mashed potatoes on top of corn creating a crust.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees then insert baking dish with pie. Allow it to cook for about an hour. When it’s ready, remove it and let dish cool then serve warm. Feeds about 5. Enjoy!
Shanell C. Campbell 