Double-Decker Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie was one of the things on both on my list of things to try and my list of things to try to make. I can't believe it took me so long to try it. I guess the look of the traditional Shepherd's Pie kinda seemed weird to me. As I was flipping through a new issue of Rachael Ray's Everyday magazine, I saw this recipe for a Double-Decker Shepherd's Pie. It looked delicious, so I knew I had to try it. It is not a quick meal to make, but it's definitely worth it. The serving size is 4, but to me, it could've served 6. The serving size is HUGE. Another thing that was thought of while we were chowing down on this, was that you could definitely swap ingredients for ones that you would rather have. For instance, I cannot stand mushrooms (I have tried, even in this recipe, but I just can't seem to like them.). Next time, I will probably swap corn kernels or something for the mushrooms. And can I just say, the mashed potatoes were DIVINE. It took all of my strength to not eat just the potatoes. Anyways, this recipe was definitely a success! Everyone asked for seconds.

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 (8-ounce) package white mushrooms, caps quartered & stems chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef - I used 80/20.
• 1 bunch scallions, green portions thinly sliced and white portions finely chopped - Divide the greens from the whites.
• 1 large poblano chile, seeded and finely chopped - I didn't use this. I used ½ of a green bell pepper & 1 jalapeno seeded.

DIRECTIONS

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat to 425°. In a saucepan, combine the potatoes with salted water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water; return the potatoes to the pot. Mash with the cream until smooth; season with salt.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms & cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate. Crumble the beef evenly across the pan and cook, undisturbed, until the liquid cooks off & the meat begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium & stir in the finely chopped scallions, the poblano, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the reserved mushrooms, ¼ cup mashed potatoes, & the reserved 1 cup cooking water. Lower the heat and simmer until the juices are thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Spread slightly more than half of the potatoes evenly in a greased 9-by-11-inch baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture evenly on top, then spoon the remaining mashed potatoes evenly across the filling to enclose. Bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the sliced scallions; let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 4.