Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 08:19 PM

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s Pie

Tonight’s dinner was an A+ in the comfort food department! :) The other day, I stumbled upon a recipe for Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s Pie on the Martha Stewart website, and knew that I just had to make it for my wonderful husband. Two of Mal’s most favorite things in life (well, for food) are Shepherd’s Pie and cheddar cheese, so I knew he would love the combo.

Cheddar- Topped Shepherd’s Pie

Prep: 30 minutes; Total: 1 hour

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 pounds ground beef chuck
1 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
  • Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.
  • Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I mostly followed the recipe, but made 2 small ingredient substitutions:

  • Whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose white flour
  • Orange cheddar cheese instead of white cheddar cheese
The Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s Pie came out great! I especially liked the golden brown, baked-on cheddar cheese on top of the mashed potatoes. It was such a yummy combination! 

Dessert was a Cocoa Oatmeal Cookie with a smear of Barney Butter on top…

and five minutes later: a second one! Hmmmmm… I think all of these sweets are starting to add up! 

Announcing 1,000,000 Pageviews!!!

Carrots ‘N’ Cake reached 1,000,000 pageviews this afternoon! Crazy, right?! I can remember a time not too long ago when I only had about 5 readers, and now my blog has seen more than a million views! 

THANKS to all of you who read my blog every day! I really enjoy posting on Carrots ‘N’ Cake, reading and responding to your comments and questions, and learning so much from all of you! I love our little community! :) Again, thanks!

Ok, it’s time for me to catch up with The Hills! G’ night! :)

Posted by: Tina 28 comments

Posted in: Uncategorized, recipe

Tags: , ,

28 Comments on “Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s Pie”

  1. #1 VeggieGirl Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 8:32 pm

    Comfort food + RIDICULOUSLY amazing dessert = fabulous!!

    CONGRATULATIONS ON THE PAGEVIEWS!!! You KNOW that I read (and comment) on your blog everyday; and I hope that you continue to blog!! :-)

    The Hills was great this past week – enjoy!!

  2. #2 Jessica Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 8:35 pm

    I love comfort foods especially after a long work day, this looks like a great one too. Congrats on the 1,000,000 page views!!

  3. #3 Becca A Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 8:50 pm

    Congratulations!

  4. #4 Amy Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 8:55 pm

    Yummy dessert :D Congrats on your successful blog! I love love love it and hopefully have added to those views!

  5. #5 Meg Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:09 pm

    Congrats on 1,000,000 views! Amazing!

    Love the Shepard’s Pie!

  6. #6 Cara Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:10 pm

    Wow that cookie looks amazing. Mmmm. Congrats on the blog, I definitely love it ;-)

  7. #7 gina (fitnessista) Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:18 pm

    congrats!!! i looooove your blog :D
    i’m drooling over those cookies and that sheppard’s pie looks like something i’ll have to make for the hubby when he gets home- he’d love it.
    have a great night!

  8. #8 Michelle Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:19 pm

    congrats tina!!! before you know it, you’ll have a following like no other :) this blog is great to read! thanks for all your tips!

  9. #9 Erica Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:20 pm

    Congrats! Your blog is awesome! I def check it out a few times a day! I get great lunch and dinner ideas! This dinner looks awesome! I bet Mal was so happy!

  10. #10 Andrea Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    omg 1,000,00!!!!!!!!! thats so incredible tina! keep up the good work. your blog is fab :)

  11. #11 Sara Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:07 pm

    Wow, congrats on your awesome blog! I love reading it everyday. :) You’re Shepard’s Pie looks wonderful!

  12. #12 Kelsey Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    WOOOOHOO! That’s an accomplishment, for sure!

  13. #13 Melissa S. Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    yay! congrats on the views!!! and your shepards pie looks so great!

  14. #14 HangryPants Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 11:51 pm

    Holy Moly that’s a lot of views. Congratulations.

    Do you have any advice for increasing readership?

  15. #15 HangryPants Reply to this comment
    on Oct 15th, 2008 at 11:52 pm

    Holy Moly that’s a lot of views. Congratulations.

    Do you have any advice for increasing readership? Besides having a great blog. :)

  16. #16 madison (follow my weigh) Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 1:53 am

    i forget how, but i stumbled upon your blog and love it! i’m adding you to my list!

  17. #17 Ashley C. Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 1:54 am

    Congrats on the million page views, crazy! Your blog is one of the best out there just so you know your hard work definitely shows & your creativity shines through your blog! Thanks for everything you do!

  18. #18 Homeladychef Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 1:59 am

    Lovely recipe & ingredients! If you like pies, you can also try Gordon Ramsay Shepherd’s Pie, it’s super duper good….I tried once, it simply GOOD.:)

  19. #19 Cadence Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 5:48 am

    What great news. I have been a faithful reader (somtimes 4x a day!) of your blog for about 3 weeks now and I love it! I am in recovery from an eating disorder and love reading about other’s eating habits-it really helps me stay on track and gives me an idea of what “normal” eating truly is! I actually just started my own blog yesterday! http://philabundanceoflife.wordpress.com/. If you have any tips on more traffic I would be so thankful ! MY email is leetilghman@aol.com. Again, CONGRATS!

  20. #20 caitlin Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 7:46 am

    yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy i’m glad i contribute a LOAD of hits to your blog :) its fabby

  21. #21 Meagan Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 7:56 am

    I know you don’t know me, but I have been a faithful reader of yours for quite some time now and I just wanted to say congratulations! You’re so inspiring to me. I suffered anorexia, and although I have gained all of the necessary weight, sometimes I question myself. However, when I look at your blog, I remind myself of what a beautiful, healthy girl is supposed to eat in order to have a balanced diet and live a normal life. I’m in the process of creating my own blog so wish me luck!

  22. #22 Bridget W. Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 8:44 am

    Wow 1,000,000 views!! Thats crazy!!! Go you!

    Also, from the last post, I LOVE JP Licks!! Roomie and I frequent that place…esp for the soft serve. Plus I love how I can get a kiddie size when I jsut want a little…I know I’m the opposite of most people in this regard but I cant stand going to some ice cream places and ordereing a kiddie thats the size of normal Large! Mostly because I’ll eat whats given to me haha!

    Shepards pie looks so warm and delicious!

  23. #23 Lisa Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 9:05 am

    I def have to try that recipe! Congrats on the page views and blog success!

  24. #24 shawna Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 10:24 am

    Congrats on the great blog success. You should be very proud to have created such a wonderful space on the web for us all!

  25. #25 Tina Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 10:45 am

    Thanks everyone for your kind words!

    HangryPants,

    I think reading other blogs and leaving comments is a great way to promote your own.

  26. #26 lauren Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 10:52 am

    wow $1M page views is awesome! congrats! and the shepards pie looks delicious!

  27. #27 Allison K Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 12:27 pm

    1,000,0000! Amazing! Congrats Tina. I don’t always comment, but I always read and think your blog is wonderful. you really do an awesome job at being real and honest, not to mention fun and informative! You are an inspiration.

  28. #28 3 Parts to a Late Lunch – Carrots ‘N’ Cake Reply to this comment
    on Oct 16th, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    [...] of ShapeMizFit on Out of ShapeErin on Out of Shapeice cream freaks on Ice Cream TeaseAllison K on Cheddar-Topped Shepherd’s PieHangryPants on Out of ShapeAllison K on Out of [...]

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