Hello Lovelies! I hope you are having as much fun reading these posts as I’m having writing them. In our house this series has been a win in 2 levels.

1. I’m cooking again so we eating out less.
2. I feel like I am being more creative than normal, which is a huge stress relief.

So here’s today’s question:

Would you rather sing Irish drinking songs a cappella, alone and sober or have to yell, “Magically delicious!” every time you take a drink?

I think I would rather “Magically Delicious!” after each drink, at least until I got thrown out of the pub. I have an extreme fear of singing by myself in public. In all my years, I have only done karaoke once and that was drunk and with music. A cappella drinking songs while sober sounds like torture.

Simple Cottage Pie

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 cup onion chopped 
• 2 lb ground beef or ground venison
• ¾ tsp dried Italian seasoning
• heaping ¼ tsp dried rosemary
• heaping ¼ tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp  black pepper
• 2 TBSP  Worcestershire sauce
• 3 cloves garlic  minced
• 3 TBSP  all-purpose flour
• 3 TBSP tomato paste
• 12 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots
• 11 oz bottle of Guinness 
• 1 cup beef broth
• Mashed Potatoes (I use a batch of my Champ Potatoes)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes, allowing the onion to fully cook.
3. Add the minced garlic and continue to saute for an additional minute.
4. Add the ground meat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until nicely browned. Stir as needed to break up the pieces using a wooden spoon.
5. Add the Guinness to deglaze the pan and scrape all the tasty bits off the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the flour, mixing well with the meat mixture. Allow to cook for 2 minutes, to get the raw flavor out of the flour.
7. Add the tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, sea salt and black pepper. Stir well to incorporate fully and let simmer for 2-3 minutes, until liquid is reduced.
8. Stir in the peas and carrots. Then remove from the heat.
9. Prepare your favorite mashed potatoes. Then stir in the 1 cup of cheddar cheese.
10. To assemble the Cottage Pie: Pour the meat mixture into the bottom of a 7×11 casserole dish. Then use a spatula to spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the pie.
11. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are beginning to brown and the filling is bubbly.

Now let me tell you when I say, bubbly, I mean, it may bubble out over the sides. I always put my casserole dish on a baking sheet to catch the over flow and avoid having to scrub down my oven.

I love the homey flavors of this hearty pie on a cold winter day. It’s also great for meal prep, because you can reheat it in a 350-degree oven with foil over the top.

Let me know what you think.

Kristie