[Basics]Shepherd's Pie: Now with Meat

The title may startle you.
Okay, it won't.
Your average Shepherd's Pie has some sort of meat in it. Mine is usually ground beef. I also like to mix in some pork for extra yum. I've even made it with Italian sausage. I bet it would fantastic with some lamb!
I'm always encouraging you to experiment, my dear reader. Experimentation leads to learning and growth! This applies to pretty much every facet of life.
Everyone ends up doing Shepherd's pie differently. I always do it differently. This recipe is but one incarnation. Make the recipe yours!

Shepherd's Pie

Tools
a 9X 13 casserole or larger (or smaller and use less stuff!)
a spatula for the frying pan
a frying pan for the spatula
a stove and oven
knife for chopping up vegetables
a can opener for those pesky cans of food

Ingredients
mashed potatoes (this has been done all over the internet. Here's a good recipe! For a super cheat, used narsty old boxed mash)
olive oil or vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, etc work too)
a diced up small-medium onion
a small can of corn (I like "peaches and cream". If you're feeling productive, feel free to use fresh corn!)
a small can of condensed cream of mushroom soup (this is a cheat! Use a rue-based cream gravy if you have the time and the knowhow! Rues will be covered one day in this here blog! Feel free to use cream of broccoli or cream of whatever, too!)
a pound of ground meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey)
a cup of shredded cheddar cheese
garlic (fresh or powdered), about two cloves (finely chopped/smashed/equally obliterated) or a tablespoon of powdered
salt & pepper to taste
Optional: cayenne for some spiced kick
chili powder for fun (no profit, sorry)
other veg like chopped carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, etc.


Preparation

1. Toss a little oil in the pan and brown your onions. Sprinkle with a wee smidge of salt to help them brown. Go slow and this will add a lot of yummy flavour.
2. Add your garlic and toss it around with your onions until you can smell it.
3. Add your ground meat and brown it. Sprinkle on a wee bit of pepper and other spices if you're using any.
4. Dump the condensed can of mushroom soup over the meat and mix well, until heated.
5. Make sure your mashed potatoes are warm enough to smear around on top of everything!
6. Take your casserole dish or baking pan and line the bottom with the meat mix.
7. Layer on any veg you wish to use. This is where the corn goes on for me! My roomie likes to use mixed frozen veg. Also yum. (Mostly yum because I didn't have to cook it!)
8. Slather on delicious mashed potatoes! Make a nice heavy cap to top off all the other layers.
9. Sprinkle on cheese. Use more if you love the baked on cheese goodness.
10. Bake in a 400 degree F oven until it's all bubbly and brown and good (good = not burnt). This is about 30 minutes.
11. EAT!

Frugal: Hamburger Hash

My partner, The Lad, suggested we make hamburger hash for dinner tonight. I was a jerk and I didn't take any pictures. I should do that so you can see what a mess I make in the kitchen!
I spent most of my day in a robe. That'll tell you what kind of time I have on my hands.
I did manage some shorts and a t-shirt to prepare dinner. Spectacular!

Okay, recipe time.

This one constitutes an entire meat dish. I suggest some greens on the side for added nutrient value. The Lad had some mixed greens salad with his. His mouth was a happy place and he managed to have a little too much of the hash. I do good things with food, yes?

Hamburger Hash: echobunny Style
Cooking time: approximately an hour unless you're not running away from the kitchen constantly like I was.
Tools

• a knife
• a high-sided frying pan or heavy bottomed cooking pot
• a spoon or spatula to move things around while they're cooking
• a cutting surface
• stove

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (about .454 kg)
• 3 golden potatoes, cubed (I used some sort of yellow/Yukon of a medium size. The Lad bought them.)
• a "regular" can of corn (I used Peaches and Cream style)
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 cup finely sliced onion (I used a 1/2 of a medium sweet onion)
  
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder (you can use a couple fresh cloves, if you fancy! I was being lazy)
• pinch of salt (I used some kosher salt)
  
• a few grinds on the peppermill (maybe about a teaspoon worth)

Order of Operations

1. Wash and cube your potatoes. Or, approximate cubing. I do this by slicing my taters in half, lengthwise. Then, I slice it lengthwise several times and then widthwise to make little cubey chunks. I'll try to add some pictures down the line.
2. Rinse the extra starch off your potato pieces.
   
3. I put those potatoes in a large measuring cup (use any fitting microwave safe bowl) and covered them with water.
4. Nuke potatoes on high for about 10 minutes. The idea is to soften the potatoes so they'll cook faster in the pan, later. This time may vary according to the power of your microwave.
5. While the taters are in the microwave, add your oil to the pan and heat it up.
6. Add onions. I kept the heat down to about 4 or 5 on my stove and SLOWLY browned the little onions. This process took the better part of a half hour. Maximum flavour, minimum stove-sitting. Come back on occasion to agitate your onion bits with the spoon to keep them from sticking and burning.
7. When your potatoes are done, rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. Set them aside until your onions are done.
8. When the onions are nice and brown, toss in your potatoes and give it a good stir. Then, leave them alone! They'll slowly brown. If you want to keep a close eye on them, turn up the heat and agitate on occasion.
9. Add garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper here.
10. Stir.
11. When the potatoes look cooked, shove them to the side and throw in your ground beef. Turn up your heat to about 6 or 7 (medium high) and let it brown.
12. Start to incorporate all the parts of your hash in the pan. It's not pretty but, goddamn it tastes so good.
13. Dump in your can of corn.
14. Stir and heat everything through. This should be about 2-5 minutes.
15. Serve with ketchup and some sort of green veggie for balance.

Hope you enjoy a little easy slow cookin'. Yum!

-echobunny