Irish Cottage Pie

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and I was on a mission for a good Irish recipe. The internet led me to many variations of Shepherd's pie. Using several different recipes, I came up with a pretty delicious end product - so good that my hubby ate nearly the entire casserole dish. So much for leftovers! Later on, I heard from my very Irish friend, Mike, that my pie is actually "cottage pie" since it's made with ground beef rather than lamb. Regardless, this seems to be a no fail recipe and definitely a pleasing dish for your meat and potatoes kind of family! To save time, I used prepackaged mashed potatoes, a much tastier alternative to instant mashed potatoes. They're almost always found near the meats at the grocery store. Enjoy! - Allison Y.

Ingredients:
1 24 oz. package Bob Evans Sour Cream & Chives Mashed Potatoes

1 pound lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon oil
1 medium onion (diced)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
8 ounces mushrooms (diced)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen succotash (mixed corn and lima beans)
2 Tablespoons flour
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large saute pan, brown the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. When no pink remains, set the meat aside on a plate. Drain any remaining fat from the pain. Next, add oil, onion, and garlic. Saute on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute another 4 minutes. Add flour and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Mix well. Add frozen veggies, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary. Add the meat back in and mix well. Simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes.
While the meat mixture simmers, cook the mashed potatoes in the microwave according to package directions.

Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of a 11 x 7 baking dish. Cover with the mashed potatoes, smoothing them over the top. Bake for 15 minutes before sprinkling the sharp cheddar on top. Return the dish to the oven and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving.