Shepard's Pie

I had a sachet of seasonings to make Shepherd's Pie. I must have picked it up on my last visit to a British specialty grocers without looking very closely. According to this recipe, Shepherd's Pie is made by browning mincemeat with onion, adding the seasonings, peas, and carrots, and baking it in a casserole dish with mashed potatoes on top.

Well, I don't like mincemeat, peas, carrots, or mashed potatoes, so I made it with ground turkey*, asparagus, broccoli, and polenta on top. That's more to our tastes. Since it's not exactly Shepherd's Pie, I call it Shepard's Pie, in honor of, well why not, Alan Shepard. I've always liked him.

The dish was a success, just like Al's spaceflights.

*A versatile meat, ground turkey not only makes great meatloaf, but I've been using it for Cajun rice dressing in place of the usual ground beef, which in turn is a substitute for the original chicken giblets.