I make this tasty shepard's pie on occasion; the recipe originally came from a web site, but I modified it by adding barley and 'shrooms to make it a bit more healthy and tasty. Really though, a shepards pie (at least in the U.S.) is simply a good meat stew covered with a crust of mashed potatoes, and baked as a cassarole. BTW the picture is an older pic- I was not able to get a good photo of mine this time, (it got et up too fast by some other furries! ) but you get the idea.


ZIPPY COYOTE'S SHEPARD's PIE
* 1 1/2 lbs ground round beef
* 1 onion chopped
* small can Mushrooms, drained
* 1 /2 cup carrots, diced
* 1/ 2 cup peas
* 3 tablespoons cooked barley
* 1 1/2 - 2 lbs potatoes (4 big ones)
* 4 tablespoons butter (half stick)
* 4 tablespoons margarine (half stick)
* 1/2 cup beef broth
* 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (HP sauce is good if ya have it)
* Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice
Procedure
1 Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). When tender, mash them with a half stick of butter, and a touch of milk. Set aside for later.
2 Saute ground beef for about 5 minutes or until it is browned. Drain and set aside.
3 Melt 4 Tablespoons margarine (1/2 a stick) in large frying pan. Saute onions until tender over medium heat (10 mins). If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Add mushrooms,barley and peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.
4 Add the ground beef and saute for an additional minute. Add salt and pepper. Add worcestershire sauce. Add half a cup of beef broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, adding more beef broth as necessary to keep moist.
5 Place beef and vegetable mix in a rectangle baking dish.
6 Spread the mashed potatoes on top. Rough up with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. You can use a fork to make some designs in the potatoes as well.
7 Cook in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minutes if necessary to brown. Sprinkle a dash of paprika on top as a garnish before serving. This should make about 6 servings.