Cottage pie

I had some leftover mashed potatoes and some ground beef that needed to be used, and thought, "Aha! I will now make shepherd's pie for the first time ever!" However, it turns out that shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb and the same dish, when made with ground beef, is called cottage pie. Either way, it's not exactly a favorite of mine, but I thought perhaps the assembled multitudes might eat it. I ended up with the leftovers for lunch the past two days, and it wasn't half bad. Of course, the pouring rain today made it easier to eat British.

As best I can recall, here's the way I made it, after perusing about 6 recipes, no two alike.

Brown 1 lb. ground beef in a bit of oil. Pour off fat. Add a chopped onion, a large carrot in small dice, and a parsnip, also in small dice (just happened to have this on hand). Saute until veggies are slightly tender. Stir in a couple teaspoons dried thyme, about 1/8 tsp sage, a pinch of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour (this is because I intended to use beef broth in the next step, not beef gravy). Add a generous glug of Worcestershire sauce, a squirt of ketchup, a can of beef gravy (if, like me, you don't have the broth that you thought you did), and a little water because if you added the flour in the last step your mixture is now too thick. Cook this a little longer (or until thick, if you did use broth). Dump into 9" square baking pan or similar. Heat 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes in the microwave and spread them on top. Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar and bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Some recipes include peas. I served peas on the side. If you have a stiff upper lip, I suppose this is a pretty good meal.