Southern Shepard’s Pie

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I have always loved shepherds pie.  My grandma Jean made it on those cold Ohio days in the dead of winter.  It was one of those dishes that always warmed you from the inside out.  I loved spending time out on “The Farm” with her and grandpa.  During the summer was always my favorite.  Playing in the fields, and finding frogs and crawdads in the creek under the railroad tracks.  Those were the days, when kids would be out playing and exploring.  Such a shame today’s generation doesn’t know this joy.

Back to my Shepherds Pie. I decided to take my grandma Jeans’ version and “Southerinize’ it a bit.  So I got to thinking, how would my Mamaw  make this dish if I gave her all the ingredients.  Then it hit me.  She never made a meal without having a cornbread fresh baked in a cast iron skillet.  So what about putting the cornbread on top of the Shepard’s pie?  I think the cornbread and potatoes would be rather dry next to one another, so I decided to flip the Shepard’s pie upside down, and put the cornbread on top.  Sounded like a good idea.  Well as it turns out, it tasted even better than I could have imagined.  You might even want to add some pickled jalapeno’s to the cornbread mixture to spice it up a bit.

Let me know what y’all think about this one.

Meat Filling Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef (80/20 is best)
• 1 red  or green bell pepper- chopped
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 can corn
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

Cornbread mix:

• 1 cup self rising cornmeal
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

4 cups prepared Mashed Potatoes

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

1. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté your ground sirloin, pepper, onion and carrots.  Once meat is cooked through (about 10 minutes) and onions are translucent, add the flour and mix and cook for additional 2 minutes.  Then add the garlic, corn, beef broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce.  Cover and cook at a low simmer for about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make your cornbread mix.  In large bowl combine the cornmeal and flour together with the egg and buttermilk.  Stir in the melted butter and salt, and mix well.
3. Oil a large cast iron skillet (or 9×13 baking dish) and spread your mashed potatoes in it entirely covering bottom.   Spread the meat mixture once thickened over the potatoes.  Sprinkle the pepper jack cheese over the meat mixture, and then cover with your cornbread mixture.
4. Bake at 375°F for about 30-45 minutes until cornbread is cooked through and lightly browned.  (a toothpick into the center of the cornbread that comes out clean shows its done)
5. Let sit for about 15 minutes before dishing out.