This is an old family favorite, kid friendly food in the Homegrown Kosher household. I generally make it in one large oven to table dish but for a fancier presentation individual pie plates are adorable. But really this is not fancy food. This is delicious, uncomplicated weekday fare that all my kids will eat.
It's also one of my go-to Wednesday night dinners as I can prepare it a few days in advance and just have someone put it in the oven a couple hours before dinnertime. Advance prep instructions are in the notes following the recipe.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Dash nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Mashed potatoes to top, about 5-6 cups (see note), warmed

Instructions:

In a medium bowl combine stock, ketchup, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 Tbsn cornstarch and mix well. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Cook about 10 minutes stirring often until onions are translucent.
Add garlic, cook another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add meat and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring to break up until the meat is cooked through. Stir in oats.

Give the stock mixture a good stir and add to skillet. Mix well and cook 3 minutes until bubbly and thickened.

Transfer meat to a greased 9x13 pan or similar sized baking dish. Top with warmed mashed potatoes.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-50 minutes until warmed through and potatoes have browned at the edges.

NOTE: To prepare in advance let the meat mixture cool before topping with cooled mashed potatoes. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Bake from cold, for approximately 200 hours at 350 degrees covered tightly for the first hour and uncovered for the second.

Mashed Potatoes NOTE: I use a little over half a 5 lb bag of mashed potatoes to make the potatoes to top this. Season your mashed potatoes well, to taste with salt. I also like to add parve milk or a combination of olive oil and chicken stock when mashing !but you can season as you normally do for mashed potatoes. This is a great use for leftover (or "planned over") mashed potatoes