Shepherd’s Pie

My family is a meat and potatoes kind of bunch, myself excluded. Needless to say, over the years, I’ve made a lot of beef and potato dishes. So, while the traditional Irish shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, I threw this together one night and it was an instant hit. Besides, lamb is quite a bit pricier than ground beef.

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
2 - 0.87-oz packets beef gravy mix
2 cups water
1 - 16-oz. bag frozen mixed vegetables
6-8 potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. chives
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
spray margarine

Preheat oven to 350°. In a skillet, cook ground beef with onion until no longer pink. Drain excess grease. Add the gravy packets and water. Cook until thickened. Prepare the frozen mixed vegetables according to package directions. Add to beef mixture and stir until well-blended. Spread in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Boil the potatoes until tender. Drain. Add butter, chives, garlic powder, milk, salt and pepper and mash or whip until free of lumps. Spread over the beef and vegetable mixture in the baking pan. Spray the potatoes with spray margarine. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are browned. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.