Smoky Shepherd's Pie

Tonight for dinner I made a delicious Shepherd's pie that we have been enjoying for almost 9 years now. When my husband and I were first married, we picked up this little cookbook at the checkout and discovered the deliciousness that is this recipe.
We have modified it through the years, so I will just post my recipe, and not the one from the book. I got rave reviews from the kids, my son said it was the best he'd ever had!

Smoky Shepherd's Pie

1.5-2lbs ground beef
1 chopped small onion, or 1/2 cup chopped
1-2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese blend, or plain old cheddar like we did tonight
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 can of corn, drained
1 10oz can of Old El Paso enchilada sauce-we use mild for the kids
2-3 cups of mashed potatoes-prepared

Pre-heat your oven to 400F
fry up the beef and onion.
While the beef is frying, prepare your mashed potatoes if you are making instant. Otherwise, cook the beef till it's brown. Once the potatoes are done, mix half a cup of cheese in with them so the cheese is nice and melted.

Now that your beef is done, add the enchilada sauce and spices, and bring to a boil. If you have too much sauce, simmer the mix till it boils down a bit.

Pour the beef mixture into an ungreased 13x9" casserole dish and top with the drained corn. Top the corn with the mashed potatoes and spread as evenly as possible over the corn and beef. Now sprinkle the left over cheese on top of the potatoes.

Bake at 400 for about 17 minutes. let stand 5 minutes before serving.

If you like spicy, you can add 1-2 cans of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, drained seeded and chopped, and also add a can of Chopped green chiles. Both go into the beef/enchilada sauce mix while you are cooking. I omit this step because I know the kids won't eat it. I do add extra cumin and oregano. You can also top the cheese with 1/8 tsp of paprika, which I do occasionally, and it adds a nice flavor.

This was one of the first things that my husband ever cooked for me, so it brings nice memories along when I cook it. I still remember him cooking it for me in the barracks' kitchen when we stayed in his room till we got our apartment.

Enjoy!!