Beef Stew Shepherd's Pie

Recipe adapted from Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

What happen was I printed out two recipes, one for Shepherd's Pie and one for Crockpot Beef.  Well, I for some reason thought the Shepherd's Pie had chuck roast not ground hamburger.  So, when I got home from the grocery store and read the recipe, I thought what the heck~ I will just use Chuck Roast, it sounds good. 

I knew the beef mixture was running and would probably be soupy but I thought it would still taste good. 

I was right it was delicious, everyone loved it! 

Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes:
2 pounds russet potatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
6 tablespoons unsalted butter I used 1/2 cup of "I can't believe this isn't butter."
Salt and white pepper to taste
For the filling and pie:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 pound ground lamb  I used 2 pounds chuck roast
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 cups chicken or beef broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour I used 1/2 cup of flour
1 Brown Gravy Packet ( I added this)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen English peas, thawed
I used 1 12oz. bag of steamfish vegetables   
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (I added this)
Sweet paprika for dusting
Directions
To make the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-inch chunks. Place in a large pot and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to medium and simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and set aside.
Place the pot back on the stove over medium-low heat. Add the cream and butter and stir until butter has melted. Return potatoes to the pot and mash until smooth, incorporating the cream and butter as you go. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

To make the pie: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the filling: Pour the oil into a 12-inch cast iron skillet or oven safe frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté just until they begin to get tender, about 5 minutes. Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Stir in ketchup, broth and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in the flour and mix well. Continue to simmer gently over medium-low heat until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 10 to 12 minutes.
Add the corn and peas to the meat mixture and stir until combined. Season filling with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up. (Good luck with that!) Smooth the potatoes with a spatula as best you can. Dot the potatoes with bits of butter and dust with paprika.
Place skillet on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the potatoes have browned. Remove and cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

I put 2 pounds of cut up chuck roast, 2 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 cups water and 2 beef bouillons in a crock pot.  (next time I will use 1/2 cup red wine and 1/2 cup water) 2 cups of water was too much.     Opps, I forgot the onion.  Cook it for about 3 hours on high, then I sprinkled 1/2 cup all-purpose flour & added 1 brown gravy packet.  The meat should be tender, if not cook longer.  I pour the beef stew into a cast iron pan and put the mashed potatoes on top.  Then I sprinkled pakrika and 1/2 cup  cheddar cheese.  I baked it at 350 for 1/2 hour.