Shepherd's Pie

Alright...I did it again.Used the box of death to help with dinner. But whatever. It's hot in this damn house either way, might as well get a good meal out of it. Dreaming of the day when I have my own air-conditioned kitchen. Sigh. One day.

For now, I'll just sweat I guess. Oh, and a note on this recipe. This is NOT health food. It could be worse, true; but I like my mashed taters creamy. So sue me.

Shepherd's Pie

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1/2lb. ground beef (already cooked from the night before!!)
1 package of Steam Fresh mixed veggies
2lbs. potatoes (whatever kind you like)
4 Tablespoons margarine/butter
1/2 to 1 cup reduced fat milk
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
Salt & Pepp to taste
1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese

Start a big pot of water boiling for the potatoes. While it comes up to temp, cut the potatoes into inch cubes, so they'll cook quickly.
When the water is rapidly boiling, toss the tates in. They'll need somewhere between 10-15 minutes to be fork tender, which is plenty of time to prep everything else for this meal.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Since your beef is all ready to go, Pam an 8x8 pan and toss it in. Take the package of veggies and microwave for the directed 4 minutes. When they're done, throw them in with the meat and mix. Season with salt & pepper.
Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain them and return them to the pot.
Dump in the margarine, and milk and mash them to a consistency that makes you happy. I find that the creamier they are, the better they spread on top of the meat/veggies.
Add the garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
With a spatula, place a big mound of the mashed tates on top of the meat mixture and spread outwards to make sure all the meat is covered. Sprinkle the parmesan on top. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned and crisp.

This is a really hearty meal. Mike and I eat it straight out of the pan with 2 forks, usually because we're too lazy to wait for it to cool off, so we carefully avoid the edges of the pan, which will burn the crap out of your fingers. Not that I'd know about that or anything...
Again with the classiness. But hey, it means less dishes to wash, and I'm all about that. Also, there was a nice amount leftover for Mike to take to work today, so that's good.

Big plans for tonight....enchiladas, a nap, and then seeing the premiere of Captain America with some friends at midnight. Woot!