The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

It is the beginning of the month and since it is November, a Thanksgiving recipe would be in order but you know most of my Thanksgiving recipes anyway so how about a new way to cook an old favorite, Shepherd’s Pie. The meat in the Shepherd’s pie can be ground up lamb but I have always used a hamburger mixture. It seems more like me. To make a Shepherd’s pie you need to do three separate things. First, you need to get some good root vegetables cooked. Then you need to get your meat mixture prepared and then you need to cook enough mashed potatoes to completely cover the pie.

So let’s start with what you might need.

1 ¼ pounds hamburger

1 can tomato paste

1 ½ cups good rich beef stock

2 medium onions quartered

2 large parsnips cut into rounds

2 rutabagas cut into French fries

2 carrots cut into rounds

½ cup vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste

6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled with skins off

¼ cup butter

½ cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup diced cheddar cheese

Turn your oven on to 400 and put chopped vegetables on a cookie pan, add oil, salt and pepper mix well and cook them for 40 minutes, turning them over at 20 minutes.

Meanwhile sauté your hamburger until not pink. Add tomato paste and beef stock along with salt and pepper to taste and put in large mixing bowl.

Boil potatoes, drain well and add sour cream, butter, and salt and pepper. Mash until fine.

When vegetables are done mix them with the hamburger mixture and put them in a large well greased casserole pie plate. Liberally put mashed potatoes over all and add the cup of cheese when the potatoes are in place.

Bake at 350 for 2 hours (warning, this will run over so put something under it). I know that seems like an excessive baking time but everything sort of melts together and becomes wonderful and the potatoes get a great crust on them and taste like a way different type of potato.

Bon Appétit!