“Potasheema”

By Patricia Racine

January/February 2025

Through the colder months a staple for dinner tables is Shepherd’s Pie or “Potasheema,” as my mother referred to it, a familial slang of the French- Canadian Pâté Chinois. I don’t know if it was just my mom’s recipe or if all French Canadians make this dish in the plainest way possible, but I had to figure out how to make this meal tastier. I did a little research and discovered that Shepherd’s Pie originated in eighteenth- century Britain after explorers returned from the new world with potatoes. The dish was created by peasant women looking for creative ways to use leftover meats. Incidentally Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with lamb; if beef is used it’s called Cottage Pie. I have started adding more flavor layers to my recipe and I think I’ve finally found the perfect combination. 

1.5 lbs ground beef 

1 lb sweet italian sausage

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

½ cup mushrooms, sliced

½ head broccoli, cut small

2 tbs butter

2 tbs corn starch

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 cup beef broth

4 medium potatoes, boiled

¼ cup sour cream

4 tbs butter

Splash of half & half

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables

1 can creamed corn

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

For the first layer, saute the beef and sausage with the diced onion, garlic, salt, pepper and your favorite seasoning mix (I used a butter garlic steak seasoning) until cooked through then spoon into a large casserole dish. The next layer is made up of sauteed peppers, onions, mushrooms and broccoli and put that in the casserole dish. Next make a quick gravy with butter, corn starch, Worcestershire and broth; when that is thickened pour it over the veggies and beef. While you are doing all this you should boil the potatoes until they are nice and soft so that you can mash them with butter, sour cream and that splash of half-and-half. Next add the mixed veggies and spread the creamed corn over everything. Spoon the potatoes on top and then sprinkle the cheese over them. This is quite a large casserole, so you need to give at least 45 minutes at 375º to heat everything through. This Shepherd’s Pie will probably make eight servings, so either make it for a crowd or dish it into containers to freeze.

I know that cooking dinner each night is not always feasible and it is so much easier to order takeout, or pick up one of those premade meals at the grocery store. But nothing compares to an honest-to-goodness homemade dinner at least once a week. I personally make meals that are easy to freeze. During the week, on nights I don’t feel like cooking, I pull out one from the freezer.

I could probably write a whole cookbook of different versions of Shepherd’s Pies, and I encourage you to try your hand at creating new versions with all kinds of meat, veggies and starch combinations. You just might surprise yourself.