Melt 2 tablespoons butter and 1/4 teaspoons salt in a large skillet on medium heat. Dice onion into small squares. Add onions to butter and mix well to coat. Cook on medium low until very soft/transparent.
Add ground beef to onions, until very lightly browned and crumbled, add Newcastle Beer, continue to cook on medium-high and stir to keep meat small and crumbly, until done. Drain excess fat and beer from meat in colander, transfer to a separate bowl and cover.
Drain corn and peas/carrots in colander until all excess moisture is gone. Transfer to a separate bowl.
prepare gravy mix (1 cup cold water, whisk in gravy powder slowly, bring to a boil, then remove from heat, continue to stir to prevent clumping, as soon as gravy looks smooth, add about 4 tbsp cold water, stir and mix into beef/onion mixture, cover and set aside. (mushroom gravy works very well also)
Prepare mashed potatoes to taste
In a medium casserole dish, add 1/4 pat of butter near each corner. Put either a layer of pie crust in, or a thin layer of mashed potatoes (or both) spread meat/onion mixture into casserole dish, add layer of mixed corn, peas, and carrots. add thin layer of cheese if desired, then top with a layer of mashed potatoes thick enough to reach 1/2 inch below the edge of the casserole dish.
Add a layer of shredded mild cheddar cheese (and another layer of pie crust if desired) and a few small pats of butter placed randomly on top of cheese and potatoes.
Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, or 425°F for 35 minutes.
If worried about burning cheese due to lack of pie crust topping, add cheese 1/2 way through cooking time.
These are really good inside their own small pie shells, to serve individually - simply reduce cooking time until bubbly.
Submitted by: brandi@phasma.org
