The Hobbit and Shepherd's Pie

Well, I missed making my blog post last night due to seeing an advanced showing of The Hobbit. Some of you know I am a fantasy geek, so I have been very excited to see this. We were not disappointed with this movie, especially my 11 year old. I didn't LOVE it as much as Lord of the Rings, but I still really enjoyed it. I recommend it if you liked LOR.

Now on to Shepherd's Pie.

I make my own version of Shepherd's Pie and it is soooooo yummy. It is also great for freezing and eating another day. Just don't add the cheese and let it thaw completely before putting in the over. I put my extra in pie plates, cover with saran wrap and tin foil and it should be ready for your freezer!

Ingredients:

For the Meat part, I follow this recipe for Sloppy Joes <- click for link to recipe. 

Potatoes and or sweet potatoes (note sure how much, depends on how much meat you prepare, I would use 4-6 and 1 sweet potato

milk or cream

butter

garlic (optional)

Favorite Cheese

Salt and Pepper for seasoning

Instructions:

1. For the Sloppy Joe recipe, follow the recipe. One thing I do differently is I add carrots. I saute the carrots for a few minutes before I brown the meat so they will be cooked well. Carrots take longer then the other veggies to cook. I also add frozen peas near the end. Feel free to add any other veggies you may want. If you add more veggies, then you may want to double the other ingredients or it will be too dry. Sometimes just adding more ketchup is enough. I also don't simmer for 30 minutes because I end up baking it. Once it is all combined and cooked though, add it to a 9x13 baking dish.

2. While the meat is cooking, boil the potatoes, then mash them. When I mash, I add  approx 2 tbsp of butter and I usually add milk and a little cream if I have some on hand. I don't really measure. I add some, mash it, if I don't get the consistency I want, then I keep adding a little of both. Add salt and pepper for seasoning. A little garlic never hurts either. Once mashed, spread on top of the meat layer.

3. Grate your favorite cheese on top. Put in the over at 350F for 20 minutes or so. Basically until the cheese is melted and it's bubbling on the sides. 

This is one of my favorite recipes and has become a staple in our home. It does not take long to come together and it has ingredients most have in their homes already.

I will post my review and recipe for Whirly Twirly pizza tomorrow. We had family night tonight, so I didn't have time to write it up. They were a hit though!!