When I first started cooking, Shepherd’s Pie is a recipe I found and fell in love with. My family did not make this growing up, but we all enjoy it now. I have heard of people making it pretty and layered, but I like to stick with the simple, one-pot style. This recipe serves 6.

Ingredients:

Meat filling

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1 medium onion
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons of flour
• Tony Chachere’s to taste (I don’t make a meal without it!)

Mashed Potato Topping

• 4 large potatoes
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup cream, or milk
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan 

Instructions:

Start by putting the potatoes on to boil so they can cook while the meat cooks. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Then begin by adding butter and a drizzle of olive oil to a hot Dutch Oven. Sautee the carrots, celery, and onions, adding salt and Tony’s.

After the onions are translucent, add freshly minced garlic and ground beef. Season with Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and add flour as a thickener. Turn the temp. down to medium and simmer until the meat is cooked through.

By now, the potatoes should be soft. Drain the water off, add butter, cream, salt, and pepper. Blend with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

Once the meat is cooked, add the sweet peas. They go in last so they do not overcook. Top the Dutch Oven dish with mashed potatoes and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

To see how I prep. Shepherd’s Pie, see this video titled “One-Pot Dinner and How to Tie a Texas T.”