Shepherd's Pie

This is one of my favourite comfort foods. It's more a method than a recipe as it changes each time I make it. Most of you have probably made this often and have your own version but for those few to whom it is new, you can start with the following instruction and then adapt the flavours to your own taste.

• 3 or 4 raw potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 - 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
• chopped onions
• chopped red and/or green peppers
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• salt and pepper (second amount)
• grated cheddar cheese or a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella

1. Cook potatoes in salted water until tender.
2. Drain and mash, adding sour cream, butter and milk until fluffy and smooth. Set aside.
3. Brown ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up with a spoon.
4. Add onions and peppers.
5. When beef and vegetables are cooked through, drain fat.
6. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil and salt and pepper and mix well.
7. Place beef mixture in bottom of casserole dish.
8. Spoon mashed potatoes over beef, completely covering it.
9. Sprinkle with grated cheese and dot with a few dabs of butter.
10. Bake at 350º until casserole is heated through and you can hear it bubbling.
11. Serve.

Note:You can change up the flavours of both the beef and the potatoes.

For the potatoes : use garlic mashed potatoes or cheesy mashed potatoes or you can use up leftover mashed potatoes

For the beef: Use BBQ sauce, salsa or leftover gravy instead of the tomato sauce, chili powder instead of the basil

You can also add corn or grated carrot to the beef mixture.