Camp Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s Pie has been a camp classic for decades. It’s warm and comforting, and if you thought you liked it in the heat of summer, just wait until you make it on a cold fall night! You’ll find the standard camp recipe below, but the best part? This entree is flexible and forgiving, so feel free to adjust it to your taste or what you have on hand. Share it with your family this week!

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

Toppings

• 2 lbs Ground Beef, Browned and Drained
• 8 ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated

Mashed Potatoes

• 3 lbs Potatoes, Washed and Quartered
• 1⁄2 cup Butter
• 1⁄2 cup Sour Cream
• 1 tbls Italian Seasoning
• 1 tbls Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper, To Taste
• 1⁄2 cup Half and Half

Gravy

• 6 tablespoons Butter
• 6 tablespoons Flour
• 3 each Beef Boullion Cubes or Beef base, maybe more
• 3 Cups Water, boiling

1. Mashed Potatoes: We like to use yukon gold or red potatoes but any potato will do. We also leave the skins on. Wash the potatoes and cut them in smaller pieces, round potatoes in half and bigger ones in thirds or fourths. Place them in a large pot of water and boil until they are tender.
2. Strain the water off and add the butter and sour cream to the pot and mash the potatoes. Add the spices, the Half and Half until you get the consistency you like.
3. Prepare the toppings: Brown the ground beef and drain, don’t clean the pan, just put it aside until you make the gravy. Shred the cheese
4. Make the Gravy: Dissolve the bouillon cubes in the water. If you are using beef base, add it to the water until you get a good flavor.Melt the butter in the pan that you used to brown the hamburger. As it melts, use it to deglaze the pan.
5. Add the flour and stir to make your roux. The longer you cook the roux the darker your gravy will be but don’t burn it. Add your beef base and water to the roux and stir. Heat, stirring until thick.
6. Assembly: Place the Mashed Potatoes on a large platter and make an indent down the middle. Place the hamburger meat inside the indentation. Cover the meat with cheese and pour the gravy over everything. Serve with Green Peas

Have leftovers? Make soup! If you don’t eat everything, just mix it all (potatoes, meat, cheese, peas, and gravy) together and store in the fridge. The next day, put it in a pot on the stove. Add milk until you get a thick soup consistency and heat slowly.