Being a good English[-American] girl, is it any wonder that I love a hearty shepherd's pie? My recipe is a spin on the classic, using fresh pork sausages instead of lamb, but you can certainly use whatever protein you like, including ground beef or even venison. (Edit: Technically a 'shepherd's' pie is only made with lamb. If you use any other protein it's called a 'cottage' pie, but for simplicity and popularity's sake, we're using the 'shepherd's' moniker.) This recipe is also gluten-free!
My recipe makes one large pie for 6-8, or two small for 3-4 each.
You'll need:
2 lbs fresh pork sausages, casings removed (I used both Bohemian garlic and jalapeño cheddar from my local butcher,
Findley's)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, cut into coins
2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup combo of fresh or frozen green beans and/or peas (I used TJ's Bean So Green frozen mix)
3/4 cup pureed cooked vegetable like orange/red bell pepper, carrot or butternut squash (opt)
8-10 fresh mushrooms (whatever you like), sliced OR dried mushrooms, chopped and re-hydrated (reserve liquid)
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
chicken or beef broth, or water on hand as needed
butter or oil, as needed
salt and pepper to taste
mashed potatoes for topping
shredded cheese for topping (opt)
Pre-heat oven to 375.
In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage. If there is a lot of excess fat, siphon or spoon it out, (reserve some in a bowl just in case you need it as you continue) otherwise you won't get a good browning on the meat. If you are using a low-fat protein, add some butter to help create a nice gravy.
While the meat is browning, chop your veg and re-hydrate your mushrooms, if needed.
A note about these dehydrated mushrooms...do make sure to chop them up! After I re-hydrated these I just dumped them all into my cooking pan. I had some really strange-looking and behemoth 'shrooms hanging out in my shepherd's pie when all was said and done. Still tasted great, but some bites looked as if I were eating a wood sprite's poor little home, and your little ones might protest.
To the pan, add the onion, garlic and shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Next, add the carrots, cook for another 2 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired. Add the beans and/or peas and diced tomatoes, then add the mushrooms with all liquid, and the pureed vegetable of choice.
If you don't have mushroom liquid and/or not using pureed veggie, add some broth. We want to create a nice amount of liquid for gravy, but not too thin. Also add the Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer. If the sauce is too watery, boil rapidly to reduce.
Isn't this gorgeous? Looks like a pan full of jewels.
In a casserole dish, ladle in the meat and veggie mixture.
You have mashed potatoes, right? Egads, that looks frightening.
I just used some white fingerling potatoes, butter, heavy cream and salt and pepper. It's what makes the world go round.
Top with mashed potatoes and cheese.
Bake uncovered at 375 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Yu-uuuum! It's a perfect meal in one dish. You have your unprocessed carbs, nice multi-colored veggies, good fats and protein. Miss E gobbled this right now, including the funny mushrooms. ;) It's even better the next day. You don't need to buy a mix or something frozen, you can easily make this at home yourself, and it'll be a lot healthier.
Handy printable: (I will try to do this from now on with recipes.)
-Pre-heat oven to 375.
-In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage. If there is a lot of excess fat, siphon or spoon it out, and reserve some in a bowl just in case you need it as you continue, otherwise you won't get a good browning on the meat. If you are using a low-fat protein, add some butter to help create a nice gravy.
-While the meat is browning, chop your veg and re-hydrate your mushrooms, if needed.
-To the pan, add the onion, garlic and shallots, and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrots, cook for another 2 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
-Add the beans and/or peas and diced tomatoes, then add the mushrooms with all liquid, and the pureed vegetable of choice. If you don't have liquid and/or not using pureed veggie, add some broth. We want to create a nice amount of liquid for gravy, but not too thin. Also add the Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer. If the sauce is too thin, boil rapidly to reduce.
-In a casserole dish, ladle in the meat and veggie mixture, and top with mashed potatoes and cheese.
-Bake uncovered at 375 until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
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. It tasted wonderful! It's mild enough for a kid, but if I was making it for myself, I'd add some really good brined black olives, diced tomatoes and a hard boiled egg or two and a splash of cider vinegar to give it more body and depth. The raw veg gives it this fresh, crisp texture, and the cranberries are sweet and give it a nice chewy bite. 
. (Yay me! If you knew me, you'd think this was pretty funny. Almost as funny as me doing a bug-themed center.) Daddy brought a tub of wooden pattern blocks and practiced patterns and making shapes. Way fun.
