Shepherd's Pie

Spray a 2 qt. casserole (or pie/baking pan) with nonstick spray.

In a pan, saute a few sliced carrots and a couple stalks grated celery in 1 T butter, until sofftened.

Brown 1-1/2 - 2# ground beef with 1 diced onion (if you like mushrooms, add sliced mushrooms too). Simmer until the meat is fully cooked & the vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and drain off excess beef. Add the carrots/celery (& any other vegetables; peas, corn....) at this point.

Add 1-1/2 cup water, 4 T. tomato paste, 2 T. Worcestershire sauce, salt and plenty of pepper, a few shakes of garlic powder and simmer for a half hour.

While the meat is simmering, boil 4 large potatoes until done.  Drain. Add 2 Tblsp. butter, 1/2 cup shredded chedder (or co-jack) cheese, 1 Tblsp. parsley, salt & pepper and 1/4 cup heavy cream (or milk).  Mash together thoroughly.   

Heat the oven to 375º.

Spoon the cooked meat into the prepared casserole/pan and top with the mashed potatoes.  Lightly sprinkle paprika over the top.  

Place the 'pie' in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top is golden.  Remove & serve.

Italian Hamburgers

This should make approx. 8 burgers.   Start out with 2# ground round or ground sirloin. 

Add these ingredients and mix together THOROUGHLY:

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (dried is ok, but add 1/4 cup milk to them & stir to soften) - you can also soften 2 slices Italian bread in 1/4 cup (or a little more) milk, mashing it occasionally until mushy   

1/2 cup finely minced onion

2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced/smashed

1 large egg

few Tblsp. minced parsley

1/4-1/2 cup grated parmesan (depends on how cheese you like it!)

season liberally with salt and pepper

After everything is totally mixed together, divide the meat up (for equal sized burgers) and form into patties.

At this point I will put the burgers onto a lightly greased baking sheet, put it into a preheated 350º oven and bake them until the meat is cooked, approx. 25-30 minutes, or until they're nice and browned.

OR

Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large frying pan and when the oil is hot, add the burgers.  Cook them for 3-5 minutes - check to make sure they're browned, then turn them over and cook them on the other side until they're done.

If you're aiming to cook healthy - bake the burgers instead of frying them. Use ground sirloin (less fat than chuck) - use the egg WHITE only (& eliminate the yolk) - use lowfat milk/cheese.

Remove the burgers from the pan, place on a rack to drain any residual oil. Enjoy!

Scottish 'Mince & Tatties'

This traditional Scottish dish has always been a favorite of my husband's - & his family (from Fife, Scotland)- kids especially love it! 'Mince' translates into 'minced meat' or finely chopped beef or (what I & many usually use) ground beef (round or sirloin is best - less fat). This 'mushy beef stew' (as my kids have always called it) tastes much better than it looks! lol   It's basically a deconstructed Shepherd's Pie.  FYI, I usually double or triple this recipe:

In a pot or dutch oven, saute 2 lbs. (or more - - - - if using more meat, increase the amounts of vegetables/other ingredients) of meat (ground round, see above note), breaking it up as it cooks. Halfway thru cooking time, add a good-sized (med/large) chopped onion & a clove of minced garlic (I'm pretty certain this was NOT used by my mother-in-law, but it adds something special to the taste! Omit the garlic if you want.) and continue cooking until meat loses its pink color. Drain off ALL juices/fat. Return to medium heat. To the pot, add 1-1/2 cups chopped celery, 1/3-1/2 cup diced green pepper. Add enough water to cover the meat/vegetables. Add 2 Tblsp. beef base (that's a 'paste' in a jar found by soups in the grocery store) thinned in 1/4 cup hot water and 2 Tblsp. worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and (a generous amount of) ground black pepper; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding a bit more water if it reduces too much. The 'juice' should cover the meat, but the meat shouldn't be swimming in a lot of liquid. Simmer the meat for 45 minutes. Add 1-1/2 cups. chopped carrots and continue simmering for another 1/2 hour, or until the carrots are tender. At this point, you can add a cup or 2 of cooked peas - or serve them on the side. Once the cooking is completed, you could either eat as is, or thicken the juice with a little cornstarch mixed with cold water - if you like a thicker 'gravy'. Ladle the mince over freshly cooked mashed potatoes.