Shepherd's Pie + Roasted Vegetables

It's the long weekend so I've decided to have a couple of friends over for a simple dinner. And with the new electric oven that's been sitting comfortably on the counter top, I was so inspired to bake some glorious food to show off my amateurish culinary skills.

So after a long halt from cooking (or baking for that matters) anything, it will be a good trial run to whip out one of my favorite dish - the Shepherd's Pie.  As for the side, nothing beats the concoction of colorful greens roasted in lemon juice

Shepherd's Pie with Roasted Vegetables on side

Well there are lots of different versions of recipes for the Shepherd's Pie that you can draw out by just googling it, but here's mine - simple and fuss free:

Shepherd's Pie 

There are two parts of the pie - the mashed potatoes and the beef.  So I will split the ingredients and the cooking into two parts - first part being the mash and the second the beef.  

Part I - Mashed Potatoes 

Ingredients: 

5 large potatoes
About 100 ml milk
3 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper 

1) Clean and peel the potatoes - dice them into cubes of the same size for even cooking.
2) Bring a pot of water (enough to cover them potatoes) to boil, add in a dash of salt to the boiling water. Throw in 3 cloves garlic and the diced potatoes. Bring it to boil and then lower heat and continue boiling till potatoes are soft and easy to mush.
3) Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water. Add in milk and a little salt and pepper for taste and start mushing. What I did, I used an egg whisk and whipped my potatoes ( I prefer whipped potatoes rather than chunky mashed potatoes). Then let the potatoes cool off and head on to part II. But before that, remember to preheat your oven to about 180 degree Celsius.

Part II - Beef

Ingredients:

Approx. one pound minced/lean beef (or any meat of your choice)
3 cloves of garlic, smashed (or you can chopped it to fine pieces, up to you)
Some diced onions
8 ~ 10  cherry tomatoes, halved
One can tomato puree
One can corn kernel (you may use frozen peas, but I love corns so it's just corn for me)
Half a lemon
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
Salt, pepper and sugar (to taste)
1 tablespoon butter 

1) Marinate the beef with some salt and pepper (about 1 teaspoon each). Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and then the oyster sauce. "Massage" the beef and let it sit for at least 20 mins.
2) Heat up the sauce pan, add in butter.
3) Then add in onions, stir fry till fragrant and brown. Then add in the garlic.
4) Once the onions and garlic are lightly browned (be sure not to burn them), add in the marinated beef.
5) When the beef turns slightly brown, drain the excess water (if any) and continue frying for another 15 seconds or so.
6) Add in the tomatoes and the corn, fry until beef is cooked.
7) Now add in the tomato puree - if the puree is too thick, add some water to dilute it, but be careful to not make it too runny / watery. You want the sauce to be thick.
8) Add in salt, pepper and sugar - just a pinch or two will do. It's subjective to your personal preference.   Continue fry until beef is evenly cooked. 

Now after we've cooked both the potatoes and the beef, it's time to bake! First pour the beef into a greased casserole dishpan if you have one, or a square 9" cake pan. Make sure you evenly distribute the beef. Then pour in your mashed potatoes on top of your beef. Again, cover every corner of your beef with the potatoes.  And now, you can put the lovely creation into the oven, let it bake for about 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are very (and I do mean very) lightly browned. 

And voila! Ready to serve. 

Most people don't usually serve a side with the Shepherd's Pie, but I thought I want more colors to my dish, so I add a simple roasted vegetables as a side. 

Roasted vegetables are fairly easy to do, basically it's just selecting your favorite greens and grill or bake until perfection! But in case you want a simple recipe for it, here's mine:

Roasted Vegetables 

Ingredients:
One yellow pepper
One zucchini
One pack button mushrooms
Half a pack of cherry tomatoes
2 carrots
One onion diced and peeled by the layers
One lemon
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste 

1) Wash and diced (except for mushrooms and cherry tomatoes - leave whole) all vegetables.
2) In a mixing bowl, thrown in the vegetables and drizzle olive oil. Be sure to have an even distribution of the oil so that the vegetables are evenly coated
3) Squeeze the juice of the lemon into the vegetables, add in in salt and pepper.
4) Mix the vegetables well, and then move it to a well greased baking tray.
5) Set the oven to grill at 180 degrees Celcius for 45 ~ 60 mins. 

So there you have it, my secret to the simple yet delicious meal. Try it, and I hope you will enjoy it ;)