Comfort food for the weekend

Hello again!

For the first time ever as a blogger, I've actually been anticipating putting this post up for a couple of days. After lunch at a restaurant gave me an upset stomach (I think I ate too much raw red onion), I was really craving some mild, classic comfort food for myself and my cold-stricken boyfriend. However, the regular foods which fall into this category that feature hamburger (hamburger casserole, meatloaf and hamburger vegetable soup) either didn't sound good or I didn't have half of the necessary ingredients to execute. Since my boyfriend was making a big deal about how he bought me extra-lean ground beef, I felt obligated to use it to show my gratitude. Funny how that works in relationships, right? But that was my situation.

So I remembered this casserole my mom used to buy once in awhile from Schwann's: shepherd's pie. I remember it as a delicious, but incredibly salty dish with some of my all-time favorite foods: plenty of veggies, mashed potatoes, and a nice little faux gravy to mix the potatoes into. So I endeavored to make this again! And make it BETTER, since there's no point in doing anything without an element of competition, right? The end result was a meshing of a couple online recipes that I liked with a few personal cooking habits. I hope you like it too, and that it comforted you like it did me and Peter!

Shepherd's Pie
For the filling:
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef (96/4 or 90/10 will work equally well)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. beef broth or stock
2 Tbsp. tomato juice
Salt and pepper to taste
4 c. mixed frozen veggies (I used a cup each of carrots, white corn, green beans and peas)
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. paprika or chili powder, whatever's on hand

For the potatoes:
1.25 lb Yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks (about 4 medium potatoes)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 c. light sour cream (feel free to be generous, though)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chives

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add hamburger to the pan, breaking it up into chunks with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper, and allow to brown until meat is no longer pink, stirring occasionally.

During this time, get the potatoes going. Throw the potatoes and peeled garlic into another saucepan, and add enough water to just cover the potatoes. Cover, set over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for around 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes fall apart when a fork is inserted into them.

Drain the fat from the meat. Add the flour, mixing it well with the beef, and then the beef broth and tomato juice. Then add the frozen vegetables, bay leaf and paprika/chili powder. Cover, and simmer for around 10-15 minutes.

When potatoes test done, remove from heat and drain the water from the mixture. Return potatoes to pot, and add the sour cream, salt and pepper. Mash using whatever method you prefer (I like using a pastry cutter), until potatoes are relatively smooth and spreadable.

Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. When filling has simmered enough to create a medium-thick gravy, pour into the bottom of the dish. Add mashed potatoes on top of the filling, smoothing them out with the back of a wooden spoon. Garnish with dried chives, or add fresh chives at the end of baking. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are nicely browned and filling has thickened. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy! Serves 6.