Shepherd's Pie for the Sophistimacated

Oh the weather outside is...well you know what it is. In the spirit of Mad Men, I am considering getting an apartment near work, not so I can have a mistress like the male cast members, but so I can avoid a two-hour commute home when the bad whether socks in. 

It's a good thing I had comfort food waiting for me when I got home. Thick, rich, whipped potatoes, blended with Greek yogurt and parsley and buried underneath: a bed of ground beef, vegetables and spices. This is a leaner version of Shepherd's Pie and one worth making on the weekend because it makes for great leftovers. I call this recipe sophistimacated because I doubt the Irish had all the spices and perhaps even the vegetables available for this version. Luckily, I do!

Only slightly modified from: http://jenessasdinners.blogspot.ca

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1lb lean or extra lean ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups of green peas ( I used frozen)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped and divided in half
• 1 1/2 cups of stock
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 t dried thyme 
• 1 T dried oregano
• 1 t ground coriander
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• pinch of allspice
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T corn starch disolved in 2 T water
• 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (I chose 2%)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

While the potatoes cook, sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, carrots and thyme and cook until soft. Blend in the tomato paste. As the vegetables cook, break up the ground beef in a bowl and mix in the oregano, half of the parsley, coriander, cayenne and allspice. Add the seasoned beef in small amounts to the vegetables that are cooking until all is added and cooked through. Add the peas and stock and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.

While the beef mixture is simmering, drain the potatoes and mash them, adding the Greek yogurt and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. 

Once the stew's stock has reduced, add the corn starch mixture, stirring well. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and top with the potatoes. Place under a broiler on high until the potato topping peaks is golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Remove and serve with the remaining parsley sprinkled on top of the pie.