Unorthodox Cottage Pie

This afternoon I was procrastinating relaxing with another Diane Mott Davidson novel. In this particular volume, the protagonist was running around stealing cars and getting hit on the head from behind from threatening murderesses as usual...but of course I wasn't reading the book for that. Davidson includes some mouth-watering recipes in her mysteries, and today's chapter included one for "Unorthodox Shepherd's Pie." Of course, since Davidson and her characters are of the Betty Crocker persuasion, the recipe was full of butter and cheese. After an exhilarating pre-dinner jog in the park (I almost ran an entire mile without stopping to walk! What what!), I set about making changes to the recipe that would make the heavy-cream-loving Goldy Schulz cringe and bury her professional caterer head in shame.

Unorthodox Cottage Pie
Makes 2 Servings
-1/4 pound lean ground beef
-1/2 a medium onion, chopped
-1/2 cup sliced celery
-1 tablespoon minced garlic
-1/2 cup chicken broth
-1 tablespoon cornstarch
-black pepper to taste (or Worcester sauce, if you like a kick to your pies)
-1/2 cup frozen peas
-1 very large potato, cooked and cubed
-soy or skim milk
-salt
-paprika

Sauté ground beef with onions, celery, and garlic until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are soft. Stir the cornstarch into the broth, then pour over the meat and vegetable mixture. Stir in pepper to taste. Bubble until the mixture has thickened, then fold in the peas and set aside.


Use a blender, food processor, hand mixer or good old fashioned muscle power to cream the potato with enough milk and a generous sprinkling of salt to make a spreadable "crust."


Line a loaf pan with foil sprayed with oil. Pour the meat mixture into the pan and top with the potatoes. Sprinkle paprika on the top for looks. Bake the pan at 350° for 20 minutes to heat through. Dish out and wait for the "oohs" and "ahhs."


Sweetie gave the dish a thumbs up, though he didn't like "these little green things" (a.k.a. "celery"). Next time I might substitute in carrots...they would give the mixture a fuller flavor. I think we'll be returning a lot to this dish when the weather gets cooler.