Gluten Free, Dairy Free Shepherd's Pie

 I made a version of shepherd's pie last night that was baby friendly (by that I mean no eggs, dairy, wheat or nuts).  In an act of sheer genius, I forgot to take pictures past the "brown the meat" phase.  But I wanted to remember the recipe, so here it is, despite a lack of finished product pictures. 

I started out by cooking a pound and a half of ground elk meat, with olive oil, a chopped onion, and a can of mushrooms.  When the meat was almost done cooking, I added a bag of frozen peas and corn, and cooked until it was all hot.  I put the meat mixture into a ceramic dutch oven, then used the same skillet to make gravy.  This was the trick to making it dairy and wheat free.  I used beef broth and corn starch to make the gravy.  Half of a can of beef broth went into the skillet.  I mixed 2 T. corn starch in a shaker with 1 tsp. onion powder, shook it up really well, then added the other half of the can of beef broth to the shaker, and shook until it was well mixed.  Then I poured the shaker into the hot beef broth in the skillet, and whisked until it was hot and bubbly, and the thickness I wanted.  I poured the gravy over the meat mixture, then added smashed potatoes to the top.  Instead of mashing the potatoes with butter and milk, I just added a touch of olive oil and a little garlic salt and used a masher for a chunky texture.  I baked it until the gravy was bubbling up through the potatoes - maybe 15-20 minutes.  The guys say it was really good.  I didn't eat it because of my diet - instead, I pulled out some of the elk/onion/mushroom mixture and added a little salsa and garlic salt to it, and just a touch of cheese, and had that with green beans.  We were all very happy with dinner ;)

Afterward, we played dominoes, which the baby thought were put out just for him, so we corralled him in the high chair.  He and the three year old were tickling each other through the back of the chairs, and giggling hysterically.  Being a Mom is good stuff :)

They're so entertaining!