Shepherd's Pie

So, before you all get your panties in a wad at the fact that shepherd's pie isn't technically a baked good, let me assure you that it is indeed. You bake it in the oven; therefore, it's a baked good.

A delicious baked good. Even though it contains no chocolate or sugar.

For those of you aren't in the know, shepherd's pie is the delightful conglomeration of veggies, meat, and mashed potatoes. In the end, it kind of looks like dog food, but it TASTES fabulous. 

Now, there are a million different ways to make shepherd's pie, but I prefer my own recipe. It's tried and true and super creamy!

Here are the ingredients that you'll need:

1lb of ground meat (I usually use beef for flavor)

1 can of cream of celery

2 baking potatoes

1/2 of an onion 

1 can of corn

1 can of creamed corn

Salt 

Pepper

Garlic Powder

Dollop of sour cream

Dollop of butter

Splash of milk

You start off by cutting up the baking potatoes and boiling them until they are soft and mashable. I leave the skins on because I think it's tasty (and I'm too lazy to peel them). While the potatoes are boiling, I cut the onion into thin slices and sautee them with some butter until they are soft. I also brown the ground meat until it is thoroughly cooked. Once the meat is done, I leave the fat in the pan and mix in the onions and the can of cream of celery. It helps if you leave the heat on for a smidge so that the cream of celery is easier to mix. And that, my friends, is your meat portion of the pie.

Next, take your soft potatoes and drain the water from the pot. Mix in a dollop of butter (I usually put in a rather healthy-sized dollop), a splash of milk, and a dollop of sour cream (again, I do a healthy-sized dollop). Sprinkle in a dash of pepper, a dash of salt, and a dash of garlic powder and mash/mix/stir.  Ok, potato portion done.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Take out a baking pan/dish/whatever. I typically use an 8x8 pyrex dish. Spray that bad boy with Pam or some other non-stick spray.

Grab your meat mix and spread it out evenly on the bottom of the pan. 

Then, open up the cans of corn (I prefer corn, but lots of people use all different kinds of vegetables) and spread those evenly on top of the meat.

Finally, spread the mashed potatoes on the top.

Some people like to jazz up the dish by sprinkling cheese or breadcrumbs on the top, but I'm a fan of less is more when it comes to my shepherd's pie. So, meat, veggies, and potatoes is all that I use.

Pop the pan into the oven for 30 minutes (or longer if you want a crispier crust on the top) and voila! You have shepherd's pie!

Looks kind of unappetizing, right? Except, it's super delicious. I promise.

It doesn't look like a pie. I'm assuming that way back in the day people made it more pie-like, but this is how we've always had it... so, yeah.

**Here's a little something you should try if you haven't ever tried it before: put ketchup on your serving of shepherd's pie. It's SO FREAKING GOOD. Don't get me wrong, shepherd's pie is good on it's own, but somehow the ketchup takes it to a whole different level.**