Shepherds Pie...

I've been in serious need of some major comfort food! It always amazes me how my taste buds change with the changing seasons. I'm sure it is documented and verified somewhere that nature really makes this happen! Of course I've already mentioned I've been eating my weight in local squash! I just can't seem to get enough. My kitchen counter is lined with an assortment of thick skinned multi-colored orbs and oblongs. Isn't it interesting that they match the colors of the changing leaves? I think nature is really orchestrating all this and guiding you to eat what is in season.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't craving such filling and heavy food...but hey, I think Mother Nature is calling the shots right now. With a chill in the air and the frosty morning dew I had an overpowering urge to make Shepherds Pie! I know this casserole doesn't really call for pie crust. The topping of mashed potatoes is what makes it pie-esque...but I am so in love with my new pie crust recipe that I couldn't help add it to the mix! I did say heavy and filling comfort food, right?
I'm kind of getting away from using recipes. I have found that eating cleaner just requires less ingredients. Our food has definitely become less complicated. So, Hubs and I kind of tag teamed this and threw it together! I had made a batch of the buttery dough the day before and it was chilling in the fridge.
We had thawed a package of our newly packaged grass fed beef. Hubs started to brown it while I diced and sliced organic celery, carrots and onion. We sauteed the veggies in olive oil and a tad of butter and cubed up some freshly dug potatoes and got them boiling on the stove. When the lovely lean burger was ready to go we added it to the softened trilogy of vegetables. Hubs added some organic broth to the pan drippings and a bit of flour and made a light and tasty gravy. I rolled out the dough and smothered a casserole dish with it. We dumped the "gravy" into the meat and veggies and stirred it up. I threw the tender taters in my trusty KitchenAid mixer and made some darn tasty mashed potatoes.

Okay, the dough didn't have to look super pretty because it is being hidden beneath the filling!  I can make it pretty when necessary :)

I slathered the mashers on top. It is getting more impressive! Popped it in the oven at 425F for 35 minutes. I was guessing on the time but it ended up being just right.

Ahhhh....perty! I mean c'mon. Mashed potatoes AND pie crust?! It totally lived up to our expectations. Next time the wind is howling through the trees and you need a bit of comforting give it a try! I'm not even feeling guilty! It was completely organic, made with clean quality ingredients, didn't have a lick of sugar in it and filled me with happiness! That's a good thing...