Beefed Up Sheppards Pie

It’s been so cold here the past few weeks I been craving some good old fashioned comfort food! I wanted beef stew but also mashed potatoes….such a dilemma! ;)
So I combined them and made a “beefed up” version of Sheppard’s Pie. It was a little more work than regular Sheppard’s Pie but after diving in I thought it was totally worth it. Andrew (also known as the in house food critic) decided he still liked the original version better. He did however have two helpings so it couldn’t be THAT bad. :)

• 2.5 lbs of boneless stewing beef, cut in bite sized pieces
• ¼ cup of flour
• 4 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 package of fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 package of baby carrots (or 4 carrots sliced)
• 2 tbsp of Worchester sauce
• 1can of beer (I used Kokanee)
• 1 can of tomato paste
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• Seasoning salt
• Pepper
• 1 tsp of Dried Thyme
• 1 tsp of Dried Rosemary
• 1 tsp of Dried Oregano
• 4-5 cups of mashed potatoes
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ tsp of garlic powder

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Place the beef pieces in a large bowl and coat with seasoning salt and flour. Place the beef pieces in the olive oil to sear the outside of the beef. I would do this in 2 batches so that you don’t crowd the pot. Once seared, remove from the pot and place on a plate. Do this as many times as needed to sear all of the beef pieces. Set aside.

2. Then add half of the beef stock to the pot, scrapping the bottom of the pot to pick up all of the browned bits. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the remaining beef stock, tomato paste, beer and Worchester sauce along with the beef and any juices on the plate, as well, as the pepper, thyme, rosemary and oregano. Bring this to a rapid boil, then the reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are soft and the sauce has reduced.

3. While the stew is simmering, make the mashed potatoes, and add the cheddar cheese and garlic powder once mashed.

4. After simmering, if the sauce isn’t thick enough you can add a little gravy flour or cornstarch. Spoon the stew into the bottom of a casserole dish, and top with the mashed potatoes. (I sprinkles a little fresh grated parmesan on top as well, because there is no such thing as too much cheese)

5. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees until the top is slightly brown and crispy.