tricky tricky sneaky

My sister (in-law) is always happy when I tell her what I fed my nephew because she says she has a hard time getting him to eat veggies. (she also cant get my brother to eat veggies, but that's another story) So one of my secretes is to sneak them into what ever I can. I will go crazy and put shredded zucchini in just about everything. (see previous post about pancakes) So the other day I made them dinner and packed it full of veg! Shepards pie people, the forgotten casserole. Here's the deal, if you mix a bunch of veg into a delicious meaty, gravy-y mound of goodness then cover it with a mash of potato-y awesomeness, they will come. And eat, and ask for more! This a one of those meals that you can just run with. What is in your fridge? USE IT!

~SHEPERDS PIE~
-1lb of ground meat (ok, so you can use beef, turkey, buffalo, chicken, you can even combine a few of these. If the meat is very lean, add some olive oil to the pan before you add the meat.)
- ~1/2C flour (in essence you are making a rue with the meat drippings in the pan, so when you add the stock, you have gravy)
- 1-2C stock use whatever stock matches with your meat ie- ground chicken, chicken stock
-veggies (ya, vague, I know but here's where you get creative, use what you have, what you like, what is on-hand and/or cheap)
-potatoes
- ~2T butter
- ~1/2-3/4C milk, or cream, or half&half
- Salt & pepper to taste 

So, here's how I roll. I brown the meat with maybe some onion, and mushrooms. when its cooked thru, I add the flour to start the rue. Make sure to cook it for a few min to cook out the flour taste. I see no reason why you could not use a GF flour for this. Now add the stock. A lil at a time til you achieve the amount of gravy and thickness desired. It should be soppy, but not runny. At this point you add the veggies. I almost always add peas and carrots, classic shepards pie. I also add broccoli, shredded zucchini of course. Whatever you add I recommend it be cut to be bite size for looks, and cooking time. Uniformity is best. I let this mixture cook for about 15-20 min to allow the flavors to meld, but the baking will do that too. For the mash on top, of course potatoes, but also cauliflower, parsnips, and turnips are all great additions. So boil the root veg, til soft, then add the milk or cream, the butter and S&P to taste. Just like making mash potatoes. Now put the mash ontop of the meat mixture and bake at 400degrees for approx. 20-25 min. I have been Known to even sprinkle with a small amount of cheese, then turn the oven to broil for a few til it's slightly golden on top. Let it rest for a few after you pull it out, and then dish it up! Ps toddlers Love this dish!