Week Night Shepherd's Pie

Wondering what to make for dinner when you've used up all your go-to's and want something new? Try my version of Shepherd's Pie. It is made with a homemade gravy - no canned soups! And... it's topped with ranch flavored mashed potatoes. Yum!!

 

 

Drizzle of olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

2 gloves minced garlic

1/2 cup chopped carrot (I use julienned)

1 lb 93% lean ground beef

1 can green beans

Salt & Pepper to taste

 

For Gravy:

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour 

1-2 cups beef broth (eye ball it)

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp of worcestershire sauce

Few dashes of McCormick Montreal Steak Grill Mates Seasoning

(secret ingredient... 1 tsp bacon grease - optional)

Mashed Potato Topping:
4 large russett potatoes, boiled to fork tender
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2-1 cup milk
2 tbsp of ranch dressing mix

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

Start of pot of water boiling for the potatoes.  Peel the potatoes and chop into cubes.  Also, chop the carrots into bite sized pieces.  Boil the potatoes until fork tender.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet add the olive oil, onion, garlic, and carrots together and cook until soft.  Add the ground beef and cook thoroughly.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Add the green beans. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux.  Gently wisk in the beef broth to make a gravy.  When the gravy forms, wisk in the tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, and grill seasoning.  Add the gravy to the beef mixture and combine well (you may need to add more broth).  Add mixture to baking dish.

Drain the potatoes and add them back to the pan.  Mash together with the butter, milk, sour cream, ranch dressing mix, and salt liberally.  Top the beef mixture with the mashed potatoes (as seen in the picture).  Bake the dish until the potatoes are brown, approximately 20-30 minutes.

For a yummy touch, serve with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls :-)