Here’s another recipe from Polly Horvath’s book Everything on a Waffle. I’m posting it just as it’s written in the book.

“When I asked Miss Bowzer for a recipe for shepherd’s pie, she laughed hollowly. She said that shepherd’s pie was designed to be a hodgepodge of things leftover. A thrifty recipe. However, when pressed, this is what she suggested: Brown a pound of ground beef, with a cup of chopped onion. Add whatever you have around, some frozen mixed vegetables, some peas, some corn, whatever. Also add 2 tablespoons of flour and some water and some Lipton onion soup mix so that you have gravy. Then season with whatever you like, some teriyaki sauce, some soy sauce, some steak spice, garlic, thyme, dill, just toss it all in. Take about 3 cups or so of mashed potatoes (if you don’t have those around you’ll have to make them), add a couple of eggs, about 1/2 cup flour, a teaspoon baking powder, salt and pepper, and mix it all up, and then spread it on top of the meat mixture, right on the skillet if you have an ovenproof skillet. Bake in a 350-degree oven until the top puffs up, browns, and cooks. Don’t get  confused and put ice cream on it. That was her little joke.”

I think I’d pick just the steak spice and then add all the other seasonings, omitting the soy or teriyaki. Soy and teriyaki don’t sound like shepherd pie to me.  Just a thought. I think I need to go out and find another Polly Horvath book to read.

Enjoy! LNB