The Best Gluten Free Shepherd's Pie

  With fall here, it's time to cook up some comfort food!  My younger son had a birthday a few weeks ago and he asked me to make him shepherd's pie.  I thought for sure he'd ask for ribs or lasagna, but I thought okay I can do this. 

One trouble with making shepherd's pie is that there are countless versions out there.   He wanted the shepherd's pie that's made with a gravy instead of the one with tomato sauce.  My Heritage Cookbook (that's from a school I worked at) has the tomato sauce version. When I did a quick Google, I saw Rachel Ray had one, and everything I've cooked from her recipes have been amazing, so I just tripled her recipe for gravy in order to make enough for the large shepherd's pie you see in this picture.

My son loved it and so did our international students who have never eaten anything like this before.  I think that's a good gauge.

 Shepherd's Pie - for 8-10

1.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Chop 1 medium onion
(2)  Mince 2 cloves of garlic
(3)  Chop 2 large carrots.
(4)  Scrub and chop 8 organic potatoes and cook in water to cover about 20 minutes.  

2.  Prepare meat gravy:
(1)  Put 1 pound of organic hamburger meat into a skillet and cook a few minutes.
(2)  Add the onions, garlic, and carrots  and cook for about 5 more minutes.
(3)  In a small mixing bowl put:  3 cups of water, 4 t beef Better Than Bouillon,  2-3 t gluten free Worcestershire sauce, 1  salt, 1 t black pepper, 6 T tapioca starch, and whisk together and  then pour over the meat and whisk the gravy until thickened. 
(4)  Taste and make any adjustments. I had to add a bit more Better Than Bouillon.

3.  Mash potatoes:
(1)  Drain excess water off the potatoes and put that liquid into a cup so you can use some to help mash the potatoes.
(2)  Add 1-2 T of butter to the potatoes and mash  them a bit.
(3)  Then add  1/2 cup of milk,  1 t salt and 1/2 t black pepper.and mash until smooth, adding a bit of potato water to get the right consistency.
(4)  Taste and make any adjustments.

4.  Assemble shepherd's Pie:

(1)  Pour the meat gravy into the bottom of a large 9 x 13 pan.  

(2)  Scatter two cans of drained green beans over the top of the meat gravy.

(3)  Mound the mashed potatoes over the top. 

(4)  Sprinkle with paprika.

5.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

List of other casseroles on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles:
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada   (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Gluten Free Mexican Quinoa Casserole  (From an Internet search)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)   (Come & Dine)

Pasta Casseroles:

Fantastic Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese  (Modified from Heritage School Cookbook)
Gluten Free Comfort Food - Downright Delicious Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

American Favorites:

From Scratch Gluten Free Turkey Pot Pie
Gluten  Free Comfort Food That Hits the Spot - Chicken Divan

Breakfast for Dinner:

Hash Brown Egg Casserole  (From my friend Lisa)
Mexican Migas Breakfast Casserole  (Modified from a recipe from an airport cookbook)
Baked Zucchini Frittata  (I picked this up from a Whidbey Island farmer's market)
Jan's Sausage & Vegetable Frittata  (From a friend who was a home ec teacher)