Shepherd's Pie

Cold times call for comfort food:

Yummy. Beef, corn, carrots, peas, onions, shallots, and plenty of buttery potatoes.

This is what shepherd's pie looks like before it goes into the oven. I wet my hands a little to create a smooth surface, but was careful not to actually mashed the potatoes into a solid, hard clump.

Shepherd's pie after 40 minutes in the oven. I punched a bunch of little holes in the top with chopsticks, then a few larger holes with a small knife, so there would be room for steam to escape during baking.

I also made some basil bread because C brought us some basil from last week's farmers' market. It smelled really great in the oven, so I was disappointed that the flavor isn't that apparent in the final loaf. I guess I need to actually puree the basil into a pesto-like paste and incorporate into the dough to get a flavorful green bread.