Beef & Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

• While potatoes cook, trim and quarter mushrooms (skip if your mushrooms are pre-sliced!). Trim, peel, and finely dice carrots. Halve, peel, and dice half the onion (whole onion for 4 servings). Strip half the thyme leaves from stems (all the leaves for 4); mince leaves. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat.

Add beef or turkey; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Carefully discard any excess grease from pan.

• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. • Add another drizzle of olive oil to pan, then stir in carrots, diced onion, and salt. Cook, stirring, until veggies are softened, 5-7 minutes more.

Use pan used for beef or turkey here.

• Stir 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) into same pan, then add thyme, garlic powder, and flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste until incorporated. • Add ¾ cup water (1 cup for 4) and stock concentrates, scraping up browned bits. Bring to a boil; reduce to a low simmer and cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. TIP: If pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer mixture to a baking dish now.

After adding stock concentrates, stir in beef or turkey. Cook through the rest of this step, adding splashes of water if filling seems too thick.

• Mash drained potatoes with sour cream, half the cheddar (you’ll use the rest in the next step), and 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4 servings) until smooth and creamy, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

• Heat broiler to high. • Once filling has thickened, spoon mashed potatoes on top; spread in an even layer, leaving a 1-inch border around edge of pan. • Sprinkle mashed potatoes with remaining cheddar.