Preheat oven to 350℉. Butter or oil a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set aside. Having leftover mashed potatoes on hand would make this recipe even quicker to put together, but as it is, there’s only about 20 or so minutes of active preparation time. 

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• 4 large potatoes, peeled
• 1/2 tsp salt
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp butter
• milk, to make a creamy but fairly thick mash

I’m going to take it for granted that you pretty much know how to make mashed potatoes: cook until tender, drain (reserving 1 cup of liquid), add salt, pepper, and butter, then mash until the potatoes are all broken up. Add a good splash of milk; mash and stir. Repeat until the desired creaminess is reached. Sorry, I just do this by look and feel, which means I didn’t measure! I cook the potatoes while I’m prepping the ingredients for the shepherd’s pie base, and mash them while the mixture is cooking down.

• 1 lb white mushrooms, wiped and stems trimmed
• 2 medium onions
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 cup beef broth from concentrate (I used the reserved potato water to make it, but plain will do)
• 1-1/2 to 2 tsp kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups frozen mixed corn/peas/carrots/beans/lima beans or a similar mix
• 1 tbsp cold butter

Using a food processor, chop the mushrooms until minced (or more coarsely if you prefer the texture). Remove the mushrooms to a bowl, then process the onions and garlic until finely chopped.

Put the ground beef into a large skillet with a bit of cold water, and fry over medium high heat turning and stirring frequently until evenly browned. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the beef and cook until the aromatics are translucent. Add the salt, pepper and tomato paste, stir well to incorporate, and cook for a couple of minutes to allow the flavour of the tomato paste to mellow.

Add the mushrooms and stir well. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have shrunk down and released their juices. When most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated, add the soy sauce and the beef broth. Stir in the vegetables, and continue to cook with the lid off the skillet until the mixture is still juicy but not too runny. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

To assemble, spread the meat mixture in the prepared baking dish. Dollop the mashed potatoes evenly around the dish and smooth with a spatula. If you’re feeling artistic, use the tines of a fork to make a pattern in the potatoes. Sprinkle thin slivers of cold butter over the top of the potatoes, and run a sprinkling of freshly ground pepper down the middle to garnish.

Baked in the pre-heated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the mixture is thoroughly heated through and the potatoes are turning golden brown.