...about as wholesome and straightforward as you could get.

I love Irish food. No questions about it. I really wish I had a least a speck of Irish blood that I could point at and say "See! SEE!?! I told you it was in my blood!"

Alas, a lack, this will never be the case for me. What I can say in truth is that the Spirit of Eire has embedded itself in the deepest parts of my heart. Probably because of my Aunties being so incredibly Irish.

Moving on to the point, Irish food, I love it. So a couple weeks ago, Husband and I threw a little Harry Potter Party. To keep it in the world of Potter I ended up calling it "Quidditch Player's Pie" as it seems to show up before the matches in the Great Hall, but most everyone know is at Shepherd's Pie.

TECHNICALLY: I made Cottage Pie. Shepherd's Pie has lamb in it. My pie only contained minced beef, therefore, it should be known that I made Cottage Pie.

Now my version of Cottage Pie is incredibly easy and great use of the leftovers from a Sunday Roast.

Cottage Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
Enough meat to cover the bottom of your pan (about a 1 - 2 pounds depending on your pan of choice size)
Half an onion, diced (or roughly chopped cooked onions from the pot roast pan)
2 cloves garlic, minced
A few shakes of the old Worcestershire Sauce
Rosemary
1 - 2 cups beef broth, roast drippings, or bouillon
1 small fab of frozen peas, or left over from a meal prior
1 - 2 cups chopped carrots,or left over from a meal prior
2 -3 cups mashed potatoes, dear God, don't use instant
Method
If starting with raw meat: Cook up meat with onions and garlic with a few shakes of Worcestershire Sauce and dash of dried rosemary or 2 sprigs of fresh.
When nearly done cooking, cover with broth, drippings, or bouillon and let simmer for 5 minutes to allow the yumminess to soak into the meat.
Pour meat, onions, and garlic into a baking pan.
Remove rosemary (if you used fresh) before pouring into pan.
Cover with peas and carrots (if frozen, not need to precook)
Cover with mashed potatoes over everything.
If desired, grate a bit of cheddar cheese over the top.
Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degrees oven.

Cook's note: If you like the a thicker sort of gravy  with the meat, add a bit less broth and substitute a can of tomato paste.

I made a Low Carb version with no carrots or peas and used mashed cauliflower on top. It was pretty decent, though not as pretty or as complex a flavor as the regular type of Cottage pie.

Until the next meal....



**Today's title comes from Alexis Hall wit the full quote reading: The cottage pie was about as wholesome and straightforward as you can get. It was food for the winter evenings and happy days. **