Sheppards, um I mean Shepherd's Pie

For some reason, I was craving Shepherd's Pie. I spent last week thinking of it, and broke down to see if anyone I knew had a good recipe. Sadly, no one shared any. But darling hubby replied when I asked friends for a favorite recipe, that his favorite is mine. I don't have a favorite recipe, but it did get me thinking about my yearly journey into meat pie, Guinness Pie, and I opted to take a few ideas from there as well as throwing together a few other recipes. The result was so yummy. 

MARINATING THE MEAT

1. 1 T dried shallots
2. 2 t minced garlic

1. 2/3 c good beer (I used Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Star from Fremont brewing)
2. 1 pound ground beef
3. Mix the meat, beer, garlic, and shallots in a bowl. Place in the fridge overnight.

   FOR THE MEAT FILLING

1. 4 slices applewood smoked bacon
2. 1 cup chopped onion
3. 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
4. 2 cloves garlic, minced
5. Marinated meat from above
6. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
7. 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
8. 2 teaspoons tomato paste
9. 1 cup chicken broth
10. 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
11. 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
12. 1/2 cup English peas, fresh or frozen
13. 
    

Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from the pan. Add onion, carrots and garlic to the pan. Cook to desired color and tenderness. Add the marinated meat with any of the beer that is in the bowl, salt (and pepper for those who like pepper) to taste. Brown the meat. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir. Add 1/2 the bacon crumbled, tomato paste, chicken brother, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine, then cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

FOR THE POTATOES

1. 1 1/2 pounds yukon gold potatoes
2. 1/4 cup half-and-half
3. 2 T unsalted butter
4. remainder of bacon from meat filling, crumbled
5. salt to taste

    Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch dice. Put them in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Place pan over heat and boil until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes. Mash the potatoes, then add cream & butter. When potatoes are complete, add in the crumbled bacon.

   PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. cooked meat
2. mashed potatoes
3. shredded cheese (I used Dubliner)
4. 
   

You can put all the meat into the bottom of a baking dish, then top with potatoes and cheese. Bake about 25 minutes @400. I made individual servings, placing 1/2 c meat into 1 c glass dishes, topping with potatoes and cheese. With the individual servings, I baked for 10 minutes, then turned on the broiler for 2-3 minutes to give the cheese nice color.

1.