Sheperd's Pie

For Beef or Lamb Filling:

4.5-5 pounds ground beef or ground lamb

1 onion, diced, or 1 tablespoon onion powder

1 clove garlic, minced, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

salt

black pepper

3 cups frozen vegetables (peas/carrots/corn)

For Sauce:

1/2 stick salted butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 bottle Guinness

3 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

3 ounces tomato paste

pinch ground cayenne pepper

salt

black pepper

For Potato Topping:

5 pounds potatoes

1 stick salted butter

salt

milk or cream to reach desired consistency

Peel & dice potatoes and boil in salted water until soft. While potatoes are boiling, in a large skillet brown beef in batches, adding garlic, onion, salt & pepper while browning. Drain off fat and set beef aside. In the same pan over low heat whisk together flour and butter until completely combined and smooth. Add beef broth & Guinness, garlic powder, onion powder, tomato paste, salt & pepper, stirring continuously until blended and smooth. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Remove sauce from heat.

Combine meat, vegetables (leave frozen) and sauce and fill a tray or pie pan 2/3 full of meat mixture. (I use many small disposable metal dishes and make smaller pies) Mash potatoes, adding butter, salt, pepper & milk and blend until desired consistency. Fill remaining 1/3 of dishes with potatoes.

Bake pie in oven at 350 degrees for approximately 15 minutes, until potatoes brown.

You can also assemble this and refrigerate overnight, then bake covered with foil at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, uncover to finish browning the potatoes approximately 15 minutes more.

Serves the entire Irish army :)

Butternut Squash Soup

3 tablespoons butter

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

4 ribs celery, roughly chopped

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

40 ounces butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of cayenne pepper

6 cups chicken stock

salt & black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons sour cream + more for finishing

In a large stock pot over medium heat sautee onion, celery, carrots, garlic & butternut squash in 3 tablespoons butter, stirring until all vegetables are coated in butter and onion begins to turn translucent, about 10 minutes. Add stock, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt & pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover & simmer, approximately 30 minutes more. Remove from heat & puree using an immersion blender, or allow to cool and puree in batches and return to pot. Before serving, heat soup and add 3 tablespoons of sour cream, stirring until combined.

Serve with sour cream on top.

Serves 8