My sister Patricia's Shepherd's Pie

I will never make Shepherd's Pie without this recipe again. It is by far my favorite recipe for this dish. Not surprisingly, it comes from my sister whose mother-in-law is English. I am making this dish tonight!

Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS
1 lbs starchy potatoes, diced
2 tbsps canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
10 oz. ground lamb or beef
2 tbsps mild curry paste
4 oz hot beef broth
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsps corn starch
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 tomatoes, cubed
cheddar cheese (for top)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to medium broil. Cook potatoes and mash. See directions below. Heat oil in large pan. Saute onion, garlic, carrot and beef until well browned. Stir in curry past, beef stock, ketchup, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Mix corn starch with warm water until paste and stir into mixure. Stir in tomatoes and peas. Continue to stir until slightly thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture into glass pie dish or casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top. Fork a crisscross pattern on potatoes. Place dish in oven uncovered. About 20-30 minutes, until gold and bubbly. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top about 3 minutes before you are done. Cook until cheese is melted. Serve.













MASHED POTATOES
Boil potatoes in water. Add a piece of onion or garlic in water for extra flavor. Add salt to water. Potatoes will be cooked when you can stick a fork through a piece and it falls apart. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup of milk. You can substitute cream for milk or sour cream. Mash until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add parsley if desired.



TIPS
I vary this recipe by using olive oil instead of canola oil, some tomato paste mixed with a little brown sugar (or sweet wine) instead of the ketchup and I add frozen corn or other veggies depending on what I have on hand. Some people use brown gravy mix instead of the beef broth. If you do, use 6 to 8 ounces of brown gravy and eliminate the beef broth and corn starch mixture. You can also use beef consomme instead of gravy. I would add about half of the corn starch when using consomme.