Shepherd's Pie

My grandmother's recipe was the foundation for this one. She showed me the basics, I made it taste. If anyone has heard about my grandmother's cooking, you know that she is not real big on taste in her cooking.

2 pounds of ground meat
2 pounds potatoes
1 large onion
2 TBSP tomato paste
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
whatever veggies you want to toss in.

1. Take your potatoes, and cut them into large chunks. Boil them until fork tender in salted water. Make mashed potatoes according to your family's preferences. (Mine like cheesy-garlic smashed taters.)
2. Brown your meat. The type of meat isn't too important. I use what's on sale, or what I have on hand. Beef, pork, turkey, venison, lamb, it all works. I'd mix turkey 1/2 and 1/2 with something though.
3. Chop up your onion. 1/4" to 1/2" dice is fine. Saute in whatever you want to, I use butter, until translucent. Add to meat.
4. Mix in seasonings to taste into your meat and onion mixture. Mix in the tomato paste. You can substitute some tomato sauce if that's what you have.
5. Mix in whatever frozen (thawed is ok, and fresh works too) veggies you have on hand that work for you. Corn, green beans, peas all work pretty good.
6. Spread meat in the bottom of an oven safe 9 x 13 baking/roasting pan. Top with the mashed potatoes.
7. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until heated through and veggies are cooked.

Shepherd's Pie is the ultimate in "use up what you got" around my house. It's a great and filling supper, that warms you up when the temperatures outside start dipping. As always, make this your own. There are lots of variations out there.