Chef Hawkzombie 1 - Eating Like a Mexican Shepard

Oh lordie...When I get an idea, I guess I run with it.

Since I'm a stay at home dad and all now, I've taken to picking up a lot of the slack around the house, cooking, taking care of my son Isaac and cleaning so my wife Wendy can get a much more decent rest after working night's.

Anyway, I've always liked cooking. If I have the ingredients and a recipe to follow, then I can create pretty much anything. But my faves are the ones where I can mix and match diff things to create something a little unique. Like this Mexican Shepard's Pie I made for dinner the other night. I'm gonna share the recipe with you guys to see if anyone else enjoys it as much as we did, and to see if anyone has suggestions for making it better. I think I'll be doing these notes on a semi-regular basis from now on too. It gives me something to do.

1lb Ground Beef (or Chicken!)
2 Packets Taco Seasoning
1 Small, or about a quarter-half a large onion
1 can red kidney beans
1 can fresh corn (or frozen)
1 cup salsa
shredded cheese
3 cloves (or 3 tbsp diced) of garlic
1+ tsp garlic powder (to taste)
2 tbsp butter
Half a cup of milk
seasoning salt to taste
10-12 medium sized potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Now, boil the potatoes (after skinning and cleaning) in a pot of water for about 10-15 minutes or until they get soft. I find cutting them into quarters helps this go a bit faster. Drain and then re-add the potatoes to the pot to mash. Add the milk, butter, then seasoning salt and garlic powder to taste. This is a crucial point: If you love garlic like we do, it's time to add as much as you like for the garlic mashed potato topping. However, if you're not a fan, feel free to omit the garlic totally, My guess is it won't adversely affect the recipe.

Once those are mashed and done, dice the onion into small pieces (how small is really up to you) and add to a good sized frying (or is it sauce? Bah) pan with 1-2 tsp of olive oil. Once the onion starts to get clear (but not totally) add the meat and brown with the 3 cloves worth of garlic. Again, add as much or as little of the garlic as you want. Drain the meat if necessary.

Now, add the Corn, beans, salsa and taco seasoning to the mix. I personally use two packets as I've added so much to the original 1lb the one packet calls for I find it stretches 1 packet a bit too far and ends up rather flavorless. Feel free to adjust to your tastes however. I also add seasoning salt as well during this point, a few shakes is usually enough.

Mix it all up thoroughly and let it simmer for about 10-15 min. Once you're sure everything is sufficiently heated through and mixed, spoon the mixture into a non-stick (I personally don't like greasing pans if I can avoid it, less fat to worry about) 9x13 pan. cover the mixture with the shredded cheese of your choice (it takes about one bag of the pre-shredded stuff). Next, top that with the potatoes.

Now, put that in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the potatoes start to brown on the top.

And there you have it! 'Mexican' Shepard's Pie.