St. Patrick's Day Cottage Pie

One of the make ahead dishes I've turned to lately is cottage pie. I didn't know, but cottage pie is made with beef, while traditional Shepard's pie is made with lamb. Like most of my meals, this came about from a combination of recipes and changes based on what I have in the fridge on any given day.

1 lb ground beef
1 -2 T olive oil and/or butter (I usually use 1/2 of each)
salt & pepper to taste
garlic
1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies (or combo of onions, celery, carrots, etc. - again, whatever you have on hand)
2-3 T flour
1-2 c. chicken stock (or beef broth or water...you get the idea)

3-4 c. prepared mashed potatoes (make 'em any way you like)
butter

Saute ground beef & seasonings in oil/butter until no longer pink. If a lot of fat accumulates, drain off all but a couple of tablespoons. Stir in flour and cook for a couple of minutes to absorb the fat. Add liquid and stir to create a thick-ish sauce. Add frozen veggies - check for seasoning & adjust accordingly. If using fresh veggies, saute together with the meat before adding flour & liquid. Transfer mixture to 9" pie plate or other shallow dish. Cover w/ mashed potatoes. Dot a pat or 2 of butter (in small pieces) over the top of the potatoes. If all ingredients hot, broil to brown top of potatoes. If room temp or cold, bake @ 350 till warm & bubbly & lightly browned!

One note on the mashed potatoes. I recently added 1/2 package of garlic & herb Boursin cheese to my regular mashed potatoes for this dish. (Why? Because it was in the fridge, silly.) Delish!