Shepherd's Pie

*** this recipe is NOT gluten-free ***
*** but certainly can be made gluten-free (see below) ***

We had plenty of ground bison leftover from when we made tacos on Sunday night (the meat having been cooked and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and paprika)….so on Monday we made this Shepherd’s Pie that we’d been planning on lately.  It was a quick, easy, nutritiously hearty, and very tasty weeknight dinner (with plenty of leftovers for lunches and another night’s dinner).

INGREDIENTS

Meat:

• 1 pound of Ground Bison, crumbled and cooked with spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and paprika)

Potatoes:

• 2 Russet Potatoes
• 15 cloves of Garlic (no vampires here!)
• 3 Tablespoons Salted Butter
• 1/4 cup of Milk (I used 2% lactose free)
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper

Pie Filling:

• 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
• 2 large Carrots
• 1/2 of a large White Onion
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper
• 2/3 cup of Frozen Peas
• 2/3 cup of Frozen Corn
• 1 cup Water
• 3 Tablespoons of Flour

Topping:

• 1/8 cup of shredded Cheddar Cheese (also leftover from taco night)

DIRECTIONS

Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees.

Chop the potatoes and drop them into a pan of water along with the garlic cloves.  Bring it to a gentle boil and cook until the potatoes are tender and ready to be mashed.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onion and the carrots into 1/2-inch pieces.  Put them in a large skillet with the oil (if your meat is not already cooked ahead of time like mine was, now is the time to also put the meat in the pan), season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

If your meat was pre-cooked, wait the five minutes of cooking time for the carrots and onions, and then add in the meat.

Add the peas, the corn, and the water, and stir to combine everything.  Bring it to a boil.

Add the flour and stir until the gravy comes together.  (If you want to make the dish gluten-free, just use tapioca flour or corn starch instead -- it should work similarly, but might taste a bit different than wheat flour gravy.  I just figured since we are in the midst of our gluten v. gluten’s trashy friends experiment, I’d throw some “real” flour in there.)  Turn off the heat and set aside.

By now, your potatoes/garlic should be ready.  Drain off the water, and mash them with the milk and butter.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lightly grease your casserole pan (I used cooking spray), and pour in the pie filling.

Top with the mashed potatoes, creating a flat, even layer.

Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until it starts bubbling and the cheese/potatoes begin to brown.

This was a big dinner.  You should be able to get at least 5 large servings out of this (or 6 semi-large ones, especially if you are adding a side vegetable or salad, etc).

Each of 5 servings contains:

472 calories

23 grams protein

42 grams carbs

23 grams fat

6 grams fiber

268 mg sodium

Each of 6 servings would contain:

393 calories

20 grams protein

35 grams carbs

19 grams fat

5 grams fiber

223 mg sodium