Downton Abbey Obsession

I am completely obsessed with the TV series Downton Abbey.  We joined in a few years late but have caught up fast.

I found a website called Downton Abbey Cooks and it has all the English food from the series; Titanic meals, you name it.    There is even a cookbook if you wish to bring a touch of English tradition to your own Abbey with food, history and English royalty.

If you are a complete food dork like me check it out!

http://downtonabbeycooks.com

I made this shepherds pie last week in honor of Downton and we all dug in.  Traditional shepherds pie is made with lamb, but I used the ground turkey I had on hand and it was more than delicious.

Oh, and we all tried out our British accents too.

Enjoy!

Shepherds Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp. thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound lean ground beef or lamb
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 1 1/2 cups garden peas
• 1 ½ cups shredded white cheddar
• 3 cups mashed potatoes

Directions:
Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic, and thyme until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the ground beef or lamb and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Mix in peas. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish.   Spread mashed potatoes over mixture and spread out evenly. Sprinkle cheese over the mashed potatoes.

Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd’s pie and serve.

Have a great week!

Happy Eating!

Tonja
Tonja’s Table