Prairie Shepherd's Pie

Prairie Shepherd's Pie
6 servings

6 medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2  pounds  ground beef
1/2  cup  chopped onion (1 medium)
Good splash of Worcestershire sauce
Garlic Salt to taste
3/4  cup  beef broth
1/4  cup  all-purpose flour
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
1 - 1.5 cups water, as needed
1  10 3/4-ounce can  condensed cream of mushroom soup
1  8-ounce carton  dairy sour cream
6  ounces  Velveeta, cut into 6 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 pkg french fried onions, crushed

1. Prepare Mashed Potatoes: Peel and quarter 2 pounds (about 6 medium) potatoes. Cook, covered, in a small amount of boiling lightly salted water for 20 to 25 minutes or till tender; drain. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer on low speed. Add 1/4 cup butter or margarine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually beat in 1/3 to 1/2 cup milk to make light and fluffy. Makes about cups. Set aside to cool for 1 hour or till cool enough to handle.

2. In a large skillet, cook meat and onion with Worcestershire sauce and a bit of Garlic Salt unil meat is brown. Drain off fat. In a small bowl, stir together the broth, flour, salt and black pepper till well combined. Stir broth mixture into meat mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat till thickened. Add water if necessary to keep it from getting TOO thick! Remove from heat. Stir in soup and sour cream. Transfer meat mixture to a 3-quart casserole; set aside.

3. For potato topping, shape Mashed Potatoes into 6 balls. Make a hole in the center of ball; insert a cube of cheese in the hole, then reshape into a ball, enclosing the cheese. Repeat with remaining mashed potatoes and cheese cubes. Roll each ball in crushed fried onions. Arrange potato balls on top of meat mixture.

4. Bake, topped with a loose piece of foil, in a 350° oven about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking another 15 minutes or till mixture is bubbly and potatoes are heated through. Makes 6 servings.

This was good but I like my regulare Shepherd's Pie better.

Adapted from recipe at midwestliving.com. I didn't bother with a casserole dish, just left it in the cast iron skillet I cooked the meat in! Why dirty extra cookware when you don't have to?