Mardi Gras Shepherd Pie...Featuring Lone Mountain Wagyu Beef

Mardi Gras is coming this week, so I teamed up with my friends at Lone Mountain Wagyu Beef to create a Louisiana spin on comforting shepherd pie. My Mardi Gras Shepherd Pie features a lightly spiced beef base flavored with trinity (aka onion, celery and bell pepper), corn and diced tomatoes. It's topped with a layer of cheese and creamy mashed potatoes spiced with Creole Seasoning. If you've never had Wagyu ground beef, I highly recommend it. It's buttery and rich, and it provides a luscious flavor and texture to this comforting dinner entree!

This fun dish is a party for your mouth...and the spice level can be customized to fit your personal tastes. The recipe as written is moderately spicy. So...fire up some zydeco music, put on some colorful Mardi Gras beads, and make this comforting and hearty meal for your family to celebrate Mardi Gras!

Mardi Gras Shepherd Pie

a Weekend Gourmet Original

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

• 1 tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 lb. Lone Mountain Wagyu ground beef
• 1 tbs. hot sauce (I used Crystal)
• 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbs. Creole seasoning
• 1/2 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 3 cups mashed potatoes (leftover or refrigerated pre-cooked)
• 1 tbs. Creole seasoning

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375. Add the olive oil to a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the veggies start to brown. Add salt & pepper to taste. Add the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, and hot sauce. 

Step 2: Cook the beef until browned, breaking up the beef and incorporating the sauces and seasoning are incorporated. Add the corn and tomatoes to the pan and stir to combine. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer until any liquid is reduced -- about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Combine the cooked mashed potatoes and remaining Creole seasoning; set aside. To assemble, place 1/4 of the meat mixture in the bottom of an oven-safe serving dish. Top with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and 2/3 cup of the spiced mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with additional Creole seasoning and bake for 15 minutes, until bubbly. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

This dish is pure comfort! Lightly spiced mashed potatoes give enclose a layer of melted cheese. Under the cheese is spicy beef and veggie layer. The flavors and textures of this work so well together, and it's a complete all-in-one meal. If you prefer, you can layer the ingredients in a large skillet instead of four individual dishes. Simply use a skillet to serve everyone. I hope you'll give this dish a try for your at-home Mardi Gras celebration!

Disclosure: Lone Mountain Wagyu provided me with ground beef to facilitate recipe development for this feature. All opinions stated are solely my own.

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