Mystery Food
It’s a raspberry pudding…. it’s a strawberry cake…. it’s… it’s…. Shepherd’s Pie?
Yes, it’s Shepherd’s Pie.
My sister underwent some surgery this week, which left 3 young children at home to fend for themselves. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. It’s rumored that her husband was there somewhere, but all I saw was the blur of 4 and 5 year old boys running through the house screaming phrases best left unrepeated.
So my mission was to create some food that could be quickly heated up, easily frozen if needed, and readily eaten by the previously mentioned children. My mother had already contributed Chicken Dumpling soup, my sister had added a crockpot full of chili, and the neighbor had included a chicken and rice casserole. After much deliberation, I decided to add Shepherds Pie to the fray.
Oh, and the color - well, that came from the purple potatoes that I had on hand from some recent CSA boxes. They turned an interesting color of pink when cooked and mashed. It wasn’t bad till you added the orange cheddar cheese to the top. The color combination was pretty revolting.
Which I figure would appeal to the juvenile sense of humor that 4 and 5 year old boys seems to specialize in.
This meal wasn’t meant to be gourmet, it was meant to be quickly prepared, easily saved, and appealing to children. Given that, it turned out pretty good.
Ingredients:
3 lbs ground beef
1 envelope Lipton beefy onion soup mix
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
Flour, as needed
Beef stock, as needed
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
8 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 stick butter
Milk, as needed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Shredded cheddar cheese
Brown ground beef. Drain excess fat. Add soup mix, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir. Add just enough flour to slightly coat ingredients. Cook and stir til slightly “gummy”. Add beef stock slowly, cooking and stirring until you reach gravy stew-like consistency. Add vegetables.
Pour into cakepan(s). Sprinkle with some of the cheddar cheese.
Boil potatoes. When done, mashe with butter, milk, and parmesan cheese. Make slightly thinner than average mashed potatoes, as this will be baked and dry out a bit.
Spoon mashed potatoes over stew. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. When ready to eat it, bake in oven at 350 for 45 minutes, or until heated through.