KILLER Shepherd's Pie

After a lovely peek at spring last weekend, today was colder, wet and nasty again. So what's for dinner? Shepherd's pie of course. It's warm and comfy, and very easy. Today I used a mixture of ground beef and ground pork since that's what I had. I've also used lamb (traditional). Notes: fattier meats will need to be drained, less flavorful meats (like the lamb) work better if you increase the garlic or black pepper. My Shepherd's Pie is full of awesomeness because I know a secret. (psst - here's the secret: you make the gravy with beer instead of water. you're welcome.) You will need:

ground meat - about a pound
onion - about half of a large one, chopped
garlic - about 4 cloves, chopped
mushrooms - about half a pound
brown gravy mix packets - 2 of the 0.87 oz size
beer - 2 bottles (an ale or dark lager works best)
frozen peas and/or carrots
salt and freshly ground pepper
shredded cheddar cheese (if you want) - about 2 handfuls
chopped fresh parsley if you happen to have some
instant mashed potatoes

Here's how easy this is: open one of the beers, and drink it while you're cooking. Preheat oven to 375. Brown the ground meat with the garlic, onions and mushrooms in the pan. While this is cooking, make the instant mashed potatoes and set aside. Once the meat is done, add the gravy packets and the other beer (1.5 cups, or a full 12-oz bottle), then the frozen peas/carrots. Simmer for a few minutes until the gravy is thickened and well mixed. Add salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste, then the few handfuls of cheese if you want (no need to melt, they'll do that in the oven). Pour the mixture into a baking dish - I find an 8x8 works fine. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, then sprinkle on the parsley if you have it. Bake for 15 minutes. And THAT IS IT.