Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie) with Zucchini & Squash

Traditional English Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb or mutton, while the same dish made with ground beef as a meat substitute is known as Cottage Pie. So, technically this is a Cottage Pie, but Fred will argue that it's a Shepherd's Pie because Shepherd's Pie is made with ground beef. I have tried to prove him wrong about it in the past but he simply does not agree. Research and common sense led me tho this - Lamb and mutton were traditionally used because they were what was readily available, while today ground beef is more accessible and inexpensive, so that is what is typically used today. However, I digress, this meal was for our anniversary celebration. One, because it's what I had around, and two, I thought it played into the argument we had once had over the dish. It turned out delicious and he had 3 helpings!

This recipe is super simple but I made some fun substitutions since I had just brought home some fresh vegi's from my momma's garden:

Meat filling:

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sweet onion, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup Worcestershire
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Sweat the garlic, onions and olive oil in a sauce pan. Add in red wine and Worcestershire to deglaze the pan, then add in ground beef and reduce on medium heat while preparing the other ingredients. I cooked down the ground beef in my cast iron skillet because I intended to bake the dish in the skillet to finish. You can also use a casserole dish for layering and baking, whatever works!

Succotash:

1 large zucchini, cubed
1 large yellow squash, cubed
2 sweet red peppers, diced
2 tbsp. butter
Salt & Pepper

Combine all of the above ingredients in a saute pan over medium heat until vegetables are semi-soft, they will have time to cook down more inside of the pie when it goes into the oven.

Mashed Potatoes:

4-5 medium size russet potatoes, cubed

1 clove garlic

1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup milk
Salt & Pepper

Boil potatoes and garlic clove in large pot of water until soft. Drain water and add remaining ingredients. Use masher or mixer to bring potatoes to a fluffy consistency.

Layer each of the above into a baking dish or skillet as follows:

1) MEAT!

2)Succotash

3) Mash

When finishing off the mash, it's customary to use a fork to score the top of the pie before baking, as you can see above. From here you can finish in a 350 degree oven as is, or you can cover it in shredded cheddar cheese first. This is not a traditional or English practice, but it's been popularized and is quite delicious. We chose cheese, 20 minutes in the oven and then I finished it off under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. It was really good.