Allie's favorite Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie to me is one of those perfect dishes that combines everything in it: meat, starch and veggies. It's very easy and pretty quick to make and you can build the whole thing and pop it in the fridge until the next day when you're ready for it. Or you can freeze it fully prepared and just defrost is quickly on the night you are particularly tired to cook. It's also a nice dish to feed the kids because it has quite a  few colors in it that you can use to make a funny faces out of. I haven't done it myself with Shepherd's pie yet, because Allie has no problem eating it un-decorated, but sometimes I do have to fancy up some meals. Like I did here

Allie's Favorite Shepherd's Pie

1 lbs of beef or turkey
1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
5 medium potatoes, quartered
1/2 C milk
1 C frozen green peas
3/4 C cheddar cheese, chopped (although I've used ALL kinds of cheese, they are all good)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat over to 375 degrees.

Start by placing potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, add salt and cook for 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, brown the meat. Once it's browned, drain the liquid that it released, add onions and carrots, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and continue cooking for another 15 minutes. If I have beef stock or/and tomato paste on hand, I add a little of each in the meat too.

Defrost the green peas in a microwave or just place them in a bowl with hot water for a couple minutes. Transfer the meat into a baking dish and top evenly with peas.

The potatoes should be cooked by now. Drain the water from them, add milk and mash them until very smooth.

Spread mashed potatoes over the peas in one even layer.

Top with shredded cheese

Place in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.Then turn the broiler on for 3-4 minutes to brown the top.

Enjoy!