Our Twist on Shepherd's Pie

For those out there that aren't feeling like corned beef for St. Patrick's Day, one of our favorite back up options is a warm, comforting Shepherd's (or Cottage) Pie.
A traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with ground lamb but we have found that any grass-fed or pasture raised ground meat in any combination tastes amazing.
They key ingredient (besides using sustainable grass-fed or pasture raised meat) is cooking with Guinness and topping with delicious truffle salt.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb ground meat (ground lamb, ground turkey, ground beef or a combination)
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 can of Guinness or any stout
- 8 oz beef bone broth
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1/2 an onion chopped
- About 1/2 bag of frozen peas ( 8 oz of a 16 oz bag)
- About 1/2 bag of frozen corn (8 oz of a 16 oz bag)
- 2 packets of Non-GMO instant potatoes (dehydrated potatoes) or you can make your mashed potatoes ahead of time from scratch and reheat
- 1/2 cup milk
- A few splashes of Worcestershire sauce (about 1.5 teaspoons)
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Pepper
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Truffle Salt
- 3/4 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup Unbleached Flour (Optional for thickening)
DIRECTIONS:
- Pour the Guinness (or stout) into your largest fry pan and let it cook down about 5 minutes on high heat. Add in the bay leaves.
- Prepare your carrots and onion with a nice small chop.
- After 5 minutes, add the beef bone broth and lower the heat to medium high heat. Add a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce and all the spices (except truffle salt).
- Add the carrots and onion. While the carrots and onion are cooking, start to boil the water for the potatoes and cook the meat.
- Once the meat is cooked, drain any juices and set aside.
- Add the peas and corn and let them cook for 2 minutes. Add in the meat and let it all simmer together for a few minutes.
- While all the ingredients are cooking together, your water should be boiling for your potatoes. Add in the dehydrated potatoes and mix well. Add the 1/2 cup of milk to give them a little extra creamy texture. Don’t forget to season them with salt and pepper but be light on the salt, as you will be adding truffle salt later.
- Remove the bay leaves from your meat and veggie mixture.
- If you would like to thicken up the broth of your meat and veggie mixture, add in a little flour. Try a quarter cup first and if that doesn't thicken it, add a little more. Make sure to thoroughly mix the flour and let it stew for a few minutes to cook down.
- Turn the broiler.
- Pour your meat and veggie mixture into a casserole dish. Add even layer of potatoes on top.
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and then broil until the cheese starts to brown on top. (3-5 minutes)
- Sprinkle with truffle salt and serve. :)