Shepard's Pie by Christy

Shepard's Pie is one of those ultimate comfort foods, at least for me it is.  The hamburger, the potatoes, the cheese, YUM!
Its not really a pie in the traditional sense as it does not have a crust but who knows, maybe somewhere down the line it did and people tried it w/o and liked that better.

My hubby and I jokingly call it "poor people food" sometimes, not because we think we are better than anyone who struggles but because we ARE part of the struggling class.  We call it this because its a real budget friendly dish.  It costs pennies when you break it down to individual servings.  The entire meal is around $4-5 total to make.  Divide by 5 mouths (in our house) eating it and its less than $1 a person.  You can't get much better than that!  When money flow is low we have this a lot, thus its nickname in our home.

What You Will Need:
1 lb Hamburger
3-4 medium potatoes (for mashed potatoes, you can use instant if you like)
1 can French Style Green Beans
2 (8 oz) cans Tomato Sauce
1/2-1 cup Shredded Cheese (any variety you like)

Step 1: Make the Mashed Potatoes-
Ok, so mashed potatoes are simple and who really needs to be told how to make them right.  I am including this for anyone who may be a cooking novice and has never attempted home made mashed potatoes before but would like to try.  You can use instant, I jusr prefer making them myself.
Peel 3-4 medium potatoes, cut up into small pieces.  The smaller the pieces the faster they will cook.
Boil in pot of water about 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are soft and easily mush apart when squeezed.

Drain water from potatoes.  Reserve a tiny bit of the starchy potato water, maybe 1/8-1/4 of a cup, to combine with the potatoes
With a potato masher or electric hand mixer combine potatoes, some of the starchy water, a tiny splash of milk, some butter and pepper.  I eyeball all of this.  Maybe 2-4 Tblps milk, 2-4 Tblsp butter and 1/8-1/4 teasp pepper.
I like to use an electric hand mixer, growing up that's what my grandma always used.
Set potatoes aside until ready to assemble the "pie".

Step 2: Brown Meat and Mix Bottom Layer of "Pie"-
Brown the hamburger, season as desired-I use some garlic powder and onion powder and just sprinkle a little on, no measurements.
Once it is done strain excess grease and put into a large mixing bowl-to save time and dishes I rinse the pan out and use it to mix everything in.

Open up the cans of sauce and green beans, add them to the bowl(pan) with the hamburger and mix well. 

Step 3: Assemble "Pie" and Bake-
Preheat oven to 350
Spread the hamburger mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 dish or casserole pan
Spread mashed potatoes on top of the hamburger mixture
Sprinkle cheese on top of this.  I use Colby/Jack and just shred directly on top.  I like a lot of cheese and probably use close to a cup.  You can use whatever type and amount of cheese that you like.
Bake at 350 for 15ish minutes or until cheese is all melty and gooey.

Serve and enjoy.


This will kind of look like a big helping of "slop" on your plate but trust me it is SOOOO YUMMY!  Honestly, all of the best comfort foods look like big piles of "slop" when dished up hehe.

Love,
Christy

P.S. Jess will be posting her version of Shepard's Pie soon so be on the look out for that.