Shepherds Pie - Perfect for a cold night!

Baby, it's been c-c-cold here in Michigan lately!  Where did all the glorious warmth go?  Well, in the absense of the warmth I have been making heavier, warm meals of late.  Not always fantastic on the waistline, but as always, I use fresh ingredients and watch my portion control so that's gotta count for something.  Right?

So I actually made my pork piccata for dinner tonight and whipped up a Shepherds Pie for dinner a couple of nights ago, so now I'm going to take the time to post this delicious, and SIMPLE recipe!  It's a crowd pleaser and you can make it in smaller ramekins for personal pies, a casserole dish or a nice big 13x9 rectangular dish.  This recipe is good for a large casserole dish (like corning wear).  If you're looking to fill that 13x9 dish, then you're going to want to - at the very least - make extra potatoes so you can cover it completely!

Ingredients
For Potatoes:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 c milk
3 Tbsp butter

For Meat Part:
1-1/2 lb ground beef, turkey or venison
1 med-large onion, diced (you can use leeks too, those are yummy!)
3 cloves garlic, put through the garlic press or minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced evenly
3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
2/3 c frozen peas
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cumin
1.5-2 c brown gravy (you can use turkey or chicken gravy in a pinch)
Sea salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Make your mashed potatoes and set aside.  Brown meat and drain the fat, all but a 1/4 cup which you need to reserve.  Place fat back in pan along with onion, carrot & celery and saute for 5 minutes.  Then add garlic, mushrooms and peas.  Saute 5 more minutes.  Return beef to the pan an add remaining ingredients and cook on low-med heat 2-3 minutes, just enough to marry the flavors - the rest will happen in the oven!  Place meat mixture in your casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes.  What I like to do is put my mashed potatoes in a gallon sized storage bag and cut a hole in one corner and use it like a disposable pastry bag.  Then I make peaks of mashed potatoes until the meat mixture is covered.  If you don't feel like being so fancy, then just slap them on and make your own peaks with the back of a fork!  Bake 30-40 minutes on center rack until potatoes are golden brown on top.  Let cool 5 minutes and then serve! 

This is an easy meal, and what's more, you can add different veggies to your liking (like corn, broccoli, peppers, etc).  Use fresh and be creative and you can't go wrong!