3medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4-5 cups)
2tablespoonsbutter
½ - 1cupmilk
½cupParmesan cheese
½cupshredded sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1teaspoongarlic powder
1egg yolk
Meat Filling:
2 - 2 ½poundsground beef, turkey, lamb, or sausage (or a combination of any)
1cupchopped onion
2largecarrots chopped small, about 1 cup
2clovesgarlic, finely pressed
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonblack pepper
3tablespoonsflour
1tablespoontomato paste
1 ¼cupslow-sodium beef or chicken broth
1teaspoonworcestershire sauce
¼teaspoondried oregano
¼teaspoondried thyme, or 1 teaspoon fresh
¼teaspoondried rosemary, or 1 teaspoon fresh
½cupfrozen corn kernels
½cupfrozen peas
1cupshredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray (I've also used a slightly smaller ceramic casserole dish with good results, too, just makes the layers slightly thicker).
Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or so (it will depend on how large or small the potatoes are cut) until the potatoes are tender.
Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash the potatoes lightly. Add the butter, milk (start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed), Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and garlic powder. Mash together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the egg yolk until combined.
For the meat and vegetable mixture, in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the ground meat, onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes or so. Drain any excess grease from the mixture.
Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Stir in the corn and peas.
Pour the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top all the way to the edges of the pan creating a seal over the meat mixture. Sprinkle the 1 cup cheddar over the top of the potatoes.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden and the casserole is bubbling. Let it rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Multi-Tasking: the ingredient list looks daunting but I promise this all comes together quickly. While the potatoes are boiling, I start the meat and vegetable mixture - multi-tasking is your friend. Meat:you can use a variety of different ground meats here. I've made this once with just ground turkey and another time with a combination of ground beef and sausage. Yum! Danielle, who sent me the recipe, uses ground lamb and sausage which would also be delicious (ground lamb is a bit hard to find where I live).