Silver Medal Shepherd's Pie

This year's annual cook-off was pure joy!

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons oil

• 1 head of garlic

• 6 cups potatoes

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 package of Gardein beefless ground

• 1/3 cup chopped onion

• 3 Tablespoons flour

• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 Tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons vegan no-chicken "Better than Bouillon"

• 2 cups frozen vegetable medley

• garlic salt

• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Slice off the very top of the garlic head. Place in a piece of foil and drizzle 2 Tablespoons of oil inside the head of garlic until it is completely filled and just starting to run down the side.

3. Wrap tightly with foil and place on a cookie sheet and bake until tender and fragrant, roughly 35 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and let cool. Peel outside off of bulb of garlic, then gently squeeze each clove out. Save for adding to the mashed potatoes. Lower the oven temperature to 400.

5. Chop potatoes into chunks and boil in at least 4 cups of water until soft. Keep the potato water. Mash up the potatoes with a mixer or by hand. Add a little potato water until you're happy with the consistency. Add the roasted garlic, salt & pepper until you like the flavor.

6. Gently brown onions in 1 Tablespoon of oil. Add minced garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the beefless ground. When meat is completely cooked, sprinkle in flour and continue to saute for 1-2 minutes.

7. Stir in tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, 2 cups of potato water, and no-chicken bouillon. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Turn off the heat & then stir in frozen vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Pour beefless mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish then top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with garlic salt.

9. Place casserole dish on a large sheet pan (in case the sauce overflows) then bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

The recipe was adapted from Iowa Girl Eats.