Shepherd's Pie

One of the sweet things that my hb does is he lets me rest on weekends in terms of cooking meals. He likes to cook breakfast and Saturday night dinners. Two weekends ago he made this Shepherd's Pie, one of his fave dishes that I learned to like myself. Hb is a Brit and this is a famous English dish, so no surprise there ;-).

SHEPHERD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 pcs medium potato
1 2/3 cups milk
2 Tbsps butter
1 tsp salt, divided
1 lb ground beef
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 jar (12 ounces) beef gravy
1 package (10 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel, cube and boil potatoes until tender. Mash with 1/2 tsp salt, whole milk and butter. Add more or less milk depending on the desired thickness or creaminess. Set aside.
2. Preheat broiler. In a separate skillet, brown meat on medium-high heat, stirring to separate meat. Drain drippings. Sprinkle meat with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Add gravy and vegetables; mix well. Cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until hot.
4. Pour in a broiler-proof baking dish and even out. Spoon prepared potatoes on top of the meat mixture and sprinkle cheese evenly on top.
5. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat source 3 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and meat mixture is bubbly.

Food Friday - Roasted Winter Vegetables

This dish is a perfect partner to my Broiled Salmon with Pesto Mayonnaise. Don't worry if you don't have every vegetables listed here. You can substitute your favorite vegetables if you want. I actually added red, yellow and orange bell peppers for added colors. You can't resist this dish, your kitchen will be filled with inviting aroma from the rosemary while roasting.

ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS:
2 potatoes
2 sweet potatoes

2 parsnips
2 turnips
4 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 red onions
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
salt
1/4 cup fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel the potatoes and turnips, scrape the parsnips and carrots, and cut all the vegetables into 2-inch chunks. Cut the onions into quarters or sixths.
2. Put all the vegetables in a large roasting pan and rub all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and half the rosemary.
3. An hour before dinner, put the pan into a 450 deg. F oven and roast, tossing the vegetable every now and then, for 30 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are browned and tender.
4. Take out of the oven and pour on the vinegar and toss rapidly to glaze. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons rosemary needles.

Kitchen Tip #6

High-heat roasting works magic on most vegetables.

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