Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Top o' the morning to ya, friends! I have an olde Irish prayer for ya today.

May those who love us, love us;
and those who don't love us,
may God turn their hearts;
and if He doesn't turn their hearts,
may he turn their ankles
so we'll know them by their limping.

And a good Irish recipe for ya:

Mer's Version of Shepherd's Pie

2 lbs potatoes, peeled, diced in large pieces
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons milk (approximate)
Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 medium onions chopped
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large bag frozen veggies with corn*, peas, and carrots
1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
Worcestershire sauce
1 (14.5 ounces) can beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch

8 servings 1 hour 25 minutes 15 mins prep

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 20 minutes or until soft (don't let them get too soft, to where they're falling apart in the water!). Drain potatoes and mash. Add 2 tbsp. of the butter and enough milk to have a firm but not runny consistency. Season potatoes with salt and pepper to taste. (And I like to add a handful or two of grated cheese, plus 2-3 T sour cream - makes the potatoes scrumptious!)

Heat 1 tbsp. butter in pan; add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add ground beef, and cook until beef is lightly browned, and drain off any excess fat. Add veggie mix and mushrooms to beef and cook until tender, about 10 minutes, adding 1-2 tbsp. water to keep beef from drying out, as needed. Add Worcestershire sauce (enough to cover all the meat and ensure good flavor). Combine and add beef broth and cornstarch; bring the meat mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Place meat mixture into casserole dish; cover with mashed potatoes.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, or until potatoes are light golden and serve hot.

*Corn is my own addition to this recipe, so if a real Irishman or Brit calls you out on the addition of corn, blame me.

May you have a great St. Patrick's Day!

Love, your favorite Irish lass