shepherd's pie

last night, on the winter solstice, we made one of my favorite wintertime dinners: shepherd's pie. a meat pie with potatoes, beef, and carrots baking in the oven can't be anything but comforting on a cold winter evening. it's also a dinner that is very convenient for a mother of two little ones to make. it can be prepared in sections as time is available (cook and mash potatoes first, brown meat next, bake it last...). this works well with the realities of tending to the needs of a two month old baby.

dinah and i were able to prepare the pie while waller had a long snooze in his wrap (it's amazing what i can get done while baby-wearing) and then we popped it in the fridge and waited for daddy to get home so that we could bake it.

i have been using the same recipe since college, but as we were eating dinner, dickie told me shepherd's pie is one of keith richards' favorite meals and i should try to find his recipe. dinah, our notoriously picky eater's ears perked up at the mention of keith richards. she's the world's youngest rolling stone's fan. i could tell she was thinking, "well, if 'keef' loves it, i probably will too..." so we even got our picky eater to enjoy a few bites of this pie as well.

shepherd's pie

1.5 lbs ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, choped

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

3 large potatoes (about 1/5-2 lbs)

4 TBS butter

1/2 cup beef broth

2 tsp worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper

cook and mash potatoes with butter, cream, and salt. saute onions in 2 TBS of butter over medium heat for about three minutes. add carrots and cook for ten minutes. add ground beef and cook. once cooked, add frozen peas and corn. add salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. add beef broth and cook uncovered on low for about ten minutes. place meat and vegetables in a baking dish (i use a 13x9 pan). place a layer of mashed potatoes over the meat mixture. bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.