Shepherd's Pie - (with Gluten free version)

Was looking on Cooks.com and found lots of recipes for shepherds pie, including an upside down one which I will have to try, but they all used canned veggies and canned gravy.  Here is my version - and it is safe for gluten free diets.


What you need:  1 kg of  ground beef, (you can buy lean, but you will drain the fat, so regular is fine, too); 1 small onion, minced; 3 cloves of garlic, minced; 5 or 6 medium potatoes - (about 1 kg), scrubbed and peeled; 2 -4 Tbs butter; 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk; 2 cups of lightly steamed veggies of your choice (you can also use 2 cups of frozen veggeis) - peas, carrots, broccoli, green beans; salt and pepper to taste; 2 Tbs dried parsley flakes; 2 cups of homemade gravy. (I make gravy, or save drippings, from almost every cooked meat, and freeze leftovers for soup, stews, or recipes like this. Of course I sometimes do use mixes to add to pan drippings for gravy, but people who are gluten free  can't use those.If you are gluten free, thicken your gravy with 1/3 corn starch and 2/3 potato flour. It tastes great, and looks very much like traditional gravy.)

What you do: Bring potatoes to a boil in a large pot, and simmer until soft enough  to mash. While you boil the potatoes, brown the beef in a large skillet. Drain the liquid into a bowl. Put 1 Tbs of beef dripping back into the skillet, and add minced onion and garlic. Cook until just softened and fragrant, then add the beef. Stir well. Add salt and pepper. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish, by greasing it lightly with removed fat. (Then place the pan drippings in the fridge to let the fat congeal. You can lift the fat off and use the broth under it to add to your gravy,). Drain and mash potatoes with enough butter and milk to make a smooth mix.

Place the cooked beef, onions and garlic on the bottom of the prepared pan, spreading it out evenly. Add cooked vegetables in an even layer. Add parsley, then pour the gravy over all. Spoon the potatoes on top and spread to cover entire dish.

Bake in 350F oven for 40 minutes.  This is another one of those great comfort foods for a cold winter day.

Serve and enjoy.