Recipe By Joe Scrizzi

 

January slugged by, February is whizzing by and March will be here this Weekend! With March knocking at our heels, warmer weather creeping in the Lehigh Valley and area restaurants gearing up for St. Patrick’s Day, strap on your bibs for a Food Fest Frenzy! Being a Foodie, this question always gets asked of me: What restaurants are serving Irish Dishes. I go to Social Media and check local restaurants, fire halls, social clubs, even some churches as they dish out some amazing foods during this Holiday! Or ask your favorite Irish Friend 😊

One of my go-to’s at this time of the year is: Shepard’s Pie and I have had many versions over the years. Here is my version………Hope you like it!

 

Shepard’s Pie

1 # Ground Beef

1 – Med. Onion, chopped fine

2 – Cloves garlic, minced

1 – Cup Each: Carrots, Peas, Corn, Green Beans (or veg of choice), chopped

1 – 6.5oz can mushrooms, drained, rinsed, minced

10oz can mushroom soup, condensed

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp. salt (opt.)

1/2 tsp. pepper or several fresh grinds

2 or 3 – Cups mashed potatoes, prepared or store bought

Finely shredded Irish Cheddar Cheese (or other white cheddar), garnish (opt.)

Parsley, fresh or dried, garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400deg. Grease a 2qt. casserole dish (set aside).
2. Cook beef, onion, garlic over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain fat.
3. Stir in condensed soup, all veggies, Worcestershire sauce, salt (if using), pepper. Stir to combine and spoon into bottom of casserole dish.
4. Spoon mashed potatoes overtop.
5. Bake 20 – 30 minutes or until bubbly.
6. Garnish with cheese, slice and Enjoy!

Chef’s Notes:

Frozen mixed veggies can be substituted for fresh (4 cups). Make to defrost completely before adding into recipe. If using fresh carrots or other denser veggie, microwave for 2 minutes to soften up in little water, then drain.

Homemade mashed potatoes are best. Prepacked works fine, just bring to room temperature and incorporate with some milk before topping pie. Serve extra potatoes on the side.

Condensed soups come in quite the variety as of late. I ended up using Cream of Mushroom w/ Garlic. If you are not a fan of mushrooms, omit them in the recipe and use cream of tomato soup or other variant or beef gravy (which is more traditional).

This recipe can easily be doubled. Use a 13 x9 casserole pan and bake 35 – 40 minutes.

 

 

 

For more fresh recipes and articles by Joe Scrizzi click here…

 

---