Shepherd's Pie

Tomorrow will mark St. Patrick's Day and the birthday of my sister - Happy Birthday Peg!  She often laments the years of birthday parties with green cake.  As for food, my mother wasn't a big fan of corned beef and cabbage - so my father would usually have to get his fix at lunch time.  Irish food did not play a big role in our home growing up.

One dish that we had frequently going up - though it's probably more British than Irish - is my mother's take on Shepherd's Pie, or Hash, as she called it.  We had a lamb roast a few weeks ago and I made up some Shepherd's Pie, which was pretty tasty, and as I remembered it.

Mom's Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• The remnants of a roast (beef, lamb, pork), about 2 lbs, ground, or chopped finely.
• Mashed potatoes
• Peas (Mom used to use canned, I used about 1/2 cup of frozen)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• Worcestershire sauce
• Beef stock

Preparation

1. Prepare the mashed potatoes, set aside
2. Saute the onion in a skillet lightly
3. Mix the meat, onion, and peas in a large bowl
4. Add beef stock and Worcestershire as needed if mix is too dry (you want there to be some moisture in the mix)
5. (Optional) Place some mashed potatoes on the bottom of a casserole dish
6. Spoon the meat mix into the casserole dish
7. Spread mashed potatoes on top of the casserole dish

Cook in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until heated through.  In the final minutes, place a few pats of butter on top of the mashed potatoes and broil for a nice crust.