The Perils of Flight & Shepherd's Pie

I'm post-Christmas traveling, and with my family (and presents!) settled safely at home, I'm out being a lone road warrior at the Mineta San Jose Airport.  My first quest?  To find a decent dinner.  There appeared to be a couple intriguing options available, but I decided to go with a shepherd's pie from a place called the Brit.

See, I've heard of the Britannia Arms in San Jose, which is supposed to serve authentic British pub fare.  Plus, I'm a huge fan of mashed potatoes with anything... anything, it turns out, except this stuff.

What a salty, greasy mess!  I think about a full third of that muck was cheese (and not of a particularly flavorful sort), the rest was ground beef in gravy with a very thin layer of potatoes, and a single slice of tomato standing in for all the other vegetables traditionally found in shepherd's pie.

Honestly, as I sat there determinedly swallowing (hey, it was $15!), my mind naturally went to my much-more-delicious and much-less-salty version of shepherd's pie.  So, I thought I'd share it.  It's not, for the most part, made with leftovers, but it does make for some tasty leftovers the morning after.

Ingredients:
3 big potatoes or about 2 lbs. of any potato
1-1.5 lbs ground or finely chopped beef
1 leek (trimmed and chopped)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes (optional)
Vegetables (can be corn, carrots, peas, broccoli, etc.)
1/2 stick of unsalted butter (you can use salted, but then do not season the potatoes before baking)
1/2 cup stock (Beef is preferred, but chicken is fine)
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Shredded cheese (I prefer a mix with cheddar and pepper jack)

Instructions:
I like to bake the potatoes on my wood stove.  However, since this is not an option for most people, I suggest rough cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces and then roasting them drizzled with olive oil and salt (to taste) in the oven until they are tender.  You can also throw in the tomatoes to roast, if you're using them.  NOTE:  If I use tomatoes, I try not to use more than 1/2 cup of grape tomatoes or 1 medium vine ripe tomato.

In the meantime, get some olive oil into a pan and saute your beef.  When there's only a bit of pink left, add in your stock and vegetables.  Add the leeks in last, and let them wilt.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Put the mixture into a casserole dish.

When the potatoes are done, mash them up (and tomatoes, if you're using them) with the butter.  (TIP:  If you want to make mashed potatoes extra creamy, you can add in a little heavy whipping cream.  It's fatty but DELICIOUS.)  Spread the mash over your beef and vegetables.

Sprinkle the whole lot with cheese (as much or as little as you like), and pop it into the microwave for 1 minute, or into the oven (you probably don't even have to turn it on again) just until the cheese melts.  Then, take that baby out and bon appetit!!