This recipe is a favorite from my sister-in-law. She made it for us when we visited them several years ago and Bones requested that I get the recipe before we even left. Leave it to me, but I lost it for about 2 years before I found it again. This is, by far, the best shepherd’s pie ever!
Filling:
· 3T olive or vegetable oil
· 1 med. Onion, chopped fine
· 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
· 1 lb. ground meat, thawed
· Salt to taste (3/4 tsp)
· Rosemary to taste (1-2 tsp)
· Pepper to taste
· 4 med. Potatoes, cut into ½-1 inch cubes
· 3 med. Carrots, sliced (optional)
· 3 stalks celery, sliced (optional)
· 1-2 c water
Biscuits:
· 2 c. flour
· 2-1/2 tsp. baking powder
· ½-3/4 tsp. salt
· 5-6T butter, chilled & cut into cubes (Put in the freezer to cut and then in fridge until ready to use)
· 1 c. milk
Directions:
Grease a large (13×9) baking dish. Preheat oven to 400F. Heat oil in large skillet & cook onion, garlic & celery until they just start to turn translucent. Add ground beef, salt, pepper, rosemary & cook until meat is no longer pink and liquid has evaporated. Add potatoes & carrots. Add water (1 cup if just potatoes, 2 cups if potatoes & carrots. Water should just come to top of the filling mixture but NOT cover it completely). Cook for 2 min on med-high heat covered, then decrease the heat to low simmer and cook until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 min).
While filing is cooking, wisk or sift flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Drop in butter. Cut in with pastry cutter or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Should be dry. Add, all at once, 1 c of milk and stir until dry ingredients are well moistened. The batter will be moist & sticky, not smooth. Put in fridge until ready for use.
Once potatoes are tender, uncover and increase heat to medium. Cook uncovered until 2/3 or so of the water has cooked off then add the cornstarch gradually. Stir throroughly. Pour into greased baking dish & drop tablespoon sized lumps of biscuit batter on top to cover.
Bake 25 min until top is GBD (golden brown & delicious) and filing is bubbling.
