Shepherd's Pot Pie

I'm in the mood for something shepherd pie-ish or a beef pot pie, but I'm lacking any vegetable or beef based soup.  I started with... a nice double fist sized hunk of frozen hamburger which I fried in four tablespoons butter and then I added about one cup, maybe a little more, of my mother-in-law's beef vegetable soup from the freezer.

I took a store-bought pie crust and lined my deep dish pie dish. Put some frozen chopped potatoes in the microwave to thaw. I tossed some extra peas in the bottom. Cooked the meat until brown and poured the whole butter/soup/meat mixed into the pie pan. Then I threw the sliced potatoes in the skillet for a few minutes.

Next, I sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top of the meat. I very carefully arranged the slice potatoes on top of the cheese. Then, I used a pastry brush to coat them lightly with olive oil. Finally, I sprinkled liberally with garlic pepper. I covered with aluminum foil and put it in the oven at 425.

Now, I am at my best when I am most experimental... So we'll see how this turns out. It makes me wish I had fresh parsley. And it makes me wonder how on earth I ever learned to cook. My mother didn't cook. No one taught me, but over the years, I've figured some stuff out...

So, I cooked it for about twenty minutes with the lid on and then removed the foil and cooked another ten minutes.

It turned out incredible. So much so that my family ate the entire thing in one sitting.

I, of course, added Frank's red hot sauce.