I truly enjoy Shepherds' Pie. I've always wondered though why most recipes call for beef - one would think that Shepherds would have easy access to lamb. Maybe they're raiding the cattle rancher across the ridge

Start by making a soffritto of 2 leeks - sliced, a crushed garlic clove, a sweet red pepper - fired and peeled then diced, a stalk of celery and a peeled carrot - chopped, freshly ground black peppercorns, and 1/2-teaspoon of sweet Hungarian paprika. Salt to taste when the vegetables are fully softened.

Make garlic mashed potatoes with three medium sized yukon golds, peeled, halved and boiled with a crushed clove of garlic for 15 minutes, drained, and reheated with a tablespoon of sweet butter and a 1/3-cup of heavy cream.

Blanch 1/2-pound of blue lake green beans, and dice.

Brown a pound of ground meat - I use a mixture of beef and lamb, sometimes weighted more towards one type, and sometimes more towards the other. Tonight I used 2/3 beef and 1/3 lamb. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the meat and brown for 3 more minutes. Use a cast iron skillet that can be put in the oven.

Add the soffritto to the browned ground meat plus 1 tablespoon of HP Brown Sauce, 1/2 bottle of Anchor Steam and 1 cup of beef stock. Simmer until thick.

Mix in the green beans and some freshly chopped parsley, cover with the mashed potatoes and place in a 325ºF oven until the potato topping browns.

Serve with more HP Brown Sauce, crusty bread hot from the oven and Anchor steam - and a salad, if you like that sort of thing.

Enjoy.