Shepherd's pie

I'm on a casserole kick because the chicken-broccoli casserole turned out so well. Today's experiment: shepherd's pie, a layered dish with ground beef, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

There are several variations from which to choose, and I liked the idea of sweet peas with carrots, so I included those. I've seen versions of this with green beans, mashed carrots, condensed cream of celery and mushroom soups, chopped celery, and corn.

Shepherd's pie (makes 6 servings)

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
6-8 medium yellow potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar, or your favorite cheese
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper, to taste
6 medium carrots, cut into small cubes
1 cup sweet peas, defrosted if frozen
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups beef broth
1-1/2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons flour

1.) Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked but not mushy. Drain, then mash with milk, 1/4 cup grated cheese, 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped onion, and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2.) In a skillet, heat oil and cook the remaining onion with the ground beef, until it's browned. Drain the grease from this, but return it to the heat.

3.) Add the flour, ketchup, and beef broth to the ground beef, and stir. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then turn heat off. Set aside.

4.) Boil the carrot pieces in salted water until tender. Drain and toss with the defrosted peas.

5.) In a casserole dish -- I used a square corningware one, about 9-inches square -- spread out the ground beef. Top it with the peas and carrots, then spread the mashed potatoes on top of that. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

6.) Bake at 375 for 20 minutes -- longer if you've allowed the casserole to cool at all. I baked mine for about 30 minutes because I had prepared it earlier in the day and kept it in the fridge. You want it to be hot all the way through, with melted cheese.

7.) Put the casserole under a broiler for a couple minutes to brown the cheese a little.