Shepherd's Pie

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. My kids adore it and gobble up second helpings every time I make it. It's cheap, quick and easy AND it's a meal in one - no side dish needed!

Ingredients:
3/4 - 1 pound ground beef
1 can green beans, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
3-4 large baking potatoes or 5-6 small/medium
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste

Wash potatoes and cut into large chunks. Fill a large pot with water. Drop potatoes in just before water starts to boil to avoid scalding yourself (I learned that one the hard way!).

Cook potatoes until they fall apart when you stick them with a fork, about 20 minutes.

While potatoes are cooking, brown ground beef in a large skillet. When meat is brown, add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and tender, about 5-7 minutes.

When onions are cooked, add soup, green beans and corn to skillet. Mix well to combine; heat through.

When potatoes are cooked, drain them and then return them to the hot pot (this helps any excess water to evaporate). Then mash them until desired consistency is reached.

I use a potato masher. I've seen cooking shows where they use a food mill, but I really like the chunky consistency I get from the masher. Plus, it's cheaper and is much easier to clean. Huge bonus points.

Once mashed, season to taste. Tonight I added salt (always use quite a bit of salt - more than you think you need - because potatoes are very bland otherwise), butter, a little sour cream and a splash of half-and-half (I had some in the fridge that I needed to use up). You can flavor them however you want, but you'll always want to add a little bit of liquid to make them moist. I normally just use 2% milk, but the half-and-half sure made them yummy!

Pour meat mixture evenly into a 9x13 casserole dish, and top with shredded cheese.

Spread potatoes evenly over meat mixture. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are golden brown and mixture is bubbly.

Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Then scoop up a big ol' spoonful, and enjoy!