Shepherd's pie

The Painter: Yeah, pie. That's a dessert. I want pie for dinner.
Me: Well... it's not exactly pie... I mean it's not a dessert. But I think you'll like it.

Two thinly sliced uncooked potatoes to line the pan. Spray pan lightly with oil or butter, layer potato slices, spray or top with butter. 5-6 medium potatoes, peeled, cooked, and mashed for topping.

I used five kinds of mushrooms (halved or quartered), yum! Thinly sliced red onions, yellow onions, shallots, and pearl onions (halved). Lots of freshly sliced garlic. Sauté in pan with butter and olive oil, paprika, black pepper, and salt, to taste.

Thinly sliced or chopped lamb. Add lamb to onion/garlic mix, stir until gently cooked. Add mushrooms. Thinly sliced carrots & celery. Add and toss. Mix in frozen corn & peas. I added edamame (soybeans) and 2-3 tablespoons of miso paste. A few dashes of Worcestorshire sauce, and some thick (sweet) soysauce. Add some red wine, if you have it handy. Mix and stir (gently so as not to destroy the mushrooms).

Cook for about 15-20 minutes. Add water (or other liquid) as needed. Mix in some cornstarch rue (if desired) for thickening. Pour stew onto layer of potatoes. Spoon and spread the mashed potatoes (best if they're fairly thinned with milk) on top. Gently fork the potatoes, to create ridges. Top with some paprika and butter, and/or grated cheese (okay, it's not kosher, but it's delish). Heat in over (375F) for about 20 minutes. Broil for a couple minutes if needed to brown top.

Serve. Eat. Have seconds, thirds.

Even the Painter ate a good portion, and he didn't even notice the pieces of celery and carrots (after I mixed them back into a few forkfuls) that he had painstakingly picked out.