Cottage Pie

I lived in Europe until I was about 15 years old. So when I think of comfort food My cravings are a little different from the typical American. Now granted my mother is from Wisconsin so tuna noodle casserole and macaroni and cheese are on my list of comforts foods. However, also on that list are things like Dampfnudel and Cottage Pie. Recently we’ve been getting a stash of carrots, onions and potatoes from the CSA. When I examined the contents of my fridge and freezer I realized that with very few exceptions I could compose an entire meal from CSA ingredients! I went for it. The recipe follows.

Cottage Pie

Red skinned potatoes, cubed: 1 1/2 pounds
Farm House Cheddar cheese: 2-3 ounces shredded
Yogurt: 1/4 cup
Olive oil: 1 tablespoon
Ground beef*: 1 pound
Carrots, diced: 1/2 cup
Onion, diced: 1/2 cup
Peas: 1/2 cup
Vegetable Stock: 2 cups
Bay leaf: 1
Worcestershire s:auce: 1 tablespoon
All purpose flour 2 tablespoons
Salt and Pepper to taste

-Preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.
-Combine the potatoes and 1 cup of the vegetable stock in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Set aside. Do not drain.
-Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add ground beef. Break the beef into chucks as it cooks. When you don’t see any more pink, pour off any extra fat and add the carrots, onion and peas. Cook 5 minutes more. Add the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste.
-Stir the flour into the beef mixture making sure to coat all of the ingredients. Cook 2-3 minutes more.
-Slowly poor the remaining vegetable stock into the beef and bring to a boil. Pour mixture into an 8 or 9 inch casserole.
-Mash the potatoes in their cooking liquid and stir in the shredded cheese and yogurt. Spread the potatoes over the beef and vegetables. You can sprinkle extra cheese on top of the potatoes if you like things extra cheesy.
-Bake 30-45 minutes or until bubbly along the edges.

*Substitute ground lamb and you have a shepherds pie!