Sheperd's Pie

I love shepherd's pie, and it's probably my husband's favorite meal, so that's a plus! Tonight, I had plenty of time to make dinner, so I started at about five, peeled and cubed potatoes for mashed potatoes, and prepped the makings for Shepherd's Pie. I've adapted this from several different recipes and attempts and trials, and I think this is the best version yet.

Shepherd's Pie(serves 6-8?) Time to make:1 hour, 20 minutes

1 1/2-2 cups chopped assorted veggies(tonight I used green cabbage, celery, zucchini, carrots, onions and corn) The addition of cabbage really adds a lot of flavor

1 lb ground beef or lamb(preferably grass-fed beef)

1 tbsp gluten free flour

1 cup organic milk

1 cup beef broth(I used homemade beef bone broth)

6 small potatoes, peeled and cubed( I used 3 baby reds from the farm and 3 organic russets)

1/4 cup organic sour cream

2 tbsp grass-fed butter

1 tbsp lard (for cooking the beef in, grass-fed is very lean)

1/2 can organic tomato paste

salt and pepper

garlic powder

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350, Put potatoes on to boil. Brown ground beef in lard in a skillet(I used a cast iron skillet so I could just pop it in the oven. Add all veggies and cook until tender. Add broth, 1/2 cup milk, salt, pepper, worcestershire and tomato paste and then sprinkle in the flour, mix well. Let simmer for a few minutes. Meanwhile, make mashed potatoes. You can just take the pot off of the stove, add butter, 1/2 cup milk, sour cream and salt and pepper and mash right in the pot, or you can transfer potatoes to an electric mixer. After all is done, if using a cast iron skillet, just plop the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture and spread evenly. You can also use an 8x11 glass dish and put meat mixture in first, then top with potatoes. Sprinkle mashed potatoes with shredded cheese and cook for 30 minutes in the oven! Let cool for a few minutes before eating. It gets VERY hot!