Pie for Dinner?

I first made this shepherd's pie for a Superbowl party nine years ago, and I've made it almost every Superbowl since.  I don't know why I haven't made it more often in between.  It's easy, feeds a lot of people (or keeps well for leftovers), and you don't really have to make extra sides with it, because it has meat, potatoes, and vegetables all together.  I no longer use the mashed potato recipe provided, even though it was good on that first try; I just prefer garlic Parmesan mashed potatoes to give a bit more flavor.  Also, I baked it at 350°F for about 40 minutes, because we weren't going to eat until then.  But the broiler works just as well.  So these are general thoughts about the recipe rather than descriptions of what I did wrong.

1)  I would double the gravy recipe.  I didn't this time, because honestly I'd forgotten how little it makes, but the recipe calls for enough ground beef that the extra is probably needed. 

2)  If you want to speed up the preparation process, you can use microwavable frozen potatoes that are already cut up and peeled for the mashed potatoes.  Even though the recipe says that 2 pounds of potatoes should be fork-tender in about 12 minutes, I've always found that it takes a lot longer than that.

3)  You can add any vegetable you like to it if it sounds good to you.  If it's a firmer vegetable, add it with the carrots and onion; if it's a more "mushy" vegetable, add it with the peas.

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First--well, after chopping the onion and carrots--I browned the ground beef, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and drained the fat from the pan.  I didn't use oil because I used ground chuck (it was on sale), so I thought with a nonstick pan and a fattier meat, oil would only make everything greasy.  Then I added the carrot and onion and cooked for about five minutes more.

I melted the butter, stirred in the flour to make a light roux, then added the Worcestershire and slowly whisked in the beef stock until a thick gravy formed.

Just after I melted the butter, I stirred the peas in with the meat and other vegetables. When the gravy was done, I stirred it in as well, then spread the mixture into a 9"x13" casserole dish.

While the meat and gravy was cooking, I microwaved the potatoes (10 minutes).  For the mashed potatoes, I minced three cloves of garlic and heated it with a cup of half and half in a small saucepan until simmering. Then I stirred that into the potatoes until smooth, added 5 ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, and salted and peppered to taste.  

Finally, I spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and vegetables and topped the whole thing with shredded cheddar cheese

I baked it for 35-40 minutes, and it fed two of us for about four days... and that's probably why I usually save it for parties!

DEEMS THIS RECIPE:

... much easier than dessert pies!