Humble Food: Shepherd's Pie

I grew up with one of the endless possible variants of Shepherd's Pie - the ultimate, soothing, hearty potato-y comfort food.

My version is a bit different than my mother's - I removed the pie crust to make a lower fat version, and substituted a potato crust instead, and I sprinkled in the unlikely addition of cilantro, just because cilantro makes me happy (it doesn't take much, does it? :-) - but, flavor differences, aside, scooping up a bite of potatoes, cheese, crisp veggies, and hearty smoky flavors all in one still makes me feel just as cozy inside, a couple of decades later...

Shepherd's Pie

6 potatoes, cooked and cut into chunks

1 cup milk or vanilla soymilk
2 T light vegan margarine

3 oz turkey bacon, chopped into 1" pieces OR 3 oz smoked tempeh, chopped into 1" pieces

6 oz extra lean ground beef OR 6 oz soy crumbles
1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup bell pepper strips

1 1/2 cups corn kernels

1/2 tsp oregano

2 tsp cilantro

salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese

~ Preheat the oven to 350. Coat an 8X8 baking pan with cooking spray.
~ Bring the milk or soymilk to a simmer, then pour it into a mixing bowl with the potatoes, some salt and pepper, and the vegan marg. Coarsely mash the potatoes by hand, then set aside to firm up a bit.
~ In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown the bacan or tempeh and the ground beef or soy crumbles.
~ Once the browning has been achieved, add the onions and garlic, and saute over med-high heat until the onions are translucent, then add the bell peppers, corn, oregano, and cliantro, and saute until the veggies are just tender-crisp. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

- Spread a 1/2" layer of the mashed potatoes across the bottom of the baking pan. Scatter the onion/bacon/corn mixture on top, then spread the rest of the mashed potatoes on top as the final layer.
~ Bake for 25 minutes, scatter the cheese on top, and bake for a final 5 minutes to melt the cheese... Mmmmm...