SHEPHERD'S PIE A'LA MACARONI & CHEESE

I love Shepherd's Pie, and have yet to give out my traditional recipe which uses Yukon Gold mashed potatoes for the topping. Here is a unique version that gives my own version a 'run for it's money'. A homemade cheese sauce mixes with whole-grain elbow macaroni pasta and this is used to grace the uniquely flavored meat sauce. I made this up this morning as I was going through my refrigerator looking to see what I had to work with to make something for dinner. My brother had given me a bottle of Charleston Pig Company's Pigs & Peckers BBQ Sauce, so I used this in the meat sauce, along with sweet onion, garlic, and red, yellow and orange bell peppers. Oh, baby, my prediction is that Shepherd's Pie will never be the same.

2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 lb. multi-grain elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped varied colored sweet peppers
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
3/4 cup Charleston Pig Company's Pig & Pecker BBQ Sauce (or other thin vinegary crushed red pepper sauce)
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups half-and-half or evaporated milk
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Tabasco sauce to taste

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon salt, stir in pasta shells, cook until al dente. Drain, rinse in cold water. Set aside.

In large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add half the onions and half the peppers, and cook until soft, stirring. Toss in the garlic and cook for about 1 minute more. Add the ground beef, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the pieces, and cook until the meat loses its pinkness. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons each of salt and pepper. Mix in the Charleston BBQ Sauce, remove from heat.

Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the remaining onions and peppers until soft. Add the flour and stir well. Slowly add the half-and-half, stirring as you go. When it bubbles and thickens slightly, remove from the heat and add 2 cups of the Cheddar, the mozzarella, mustard and 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Add the Tabasco to your liking. We really like it! Stir until the cheeses are melted, then add  the macaroni. Set aside.

Lightly spray a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the ground beef mixture into the dish, then top with the macaroni mixture. Top with the last cup of cheddar cheese, and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. To bake: preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until cheeses are golden and it is bubbly around the edges. Allow the dish to rest for 15 minutes please before serving, if you can get whoever is eating with you to wait that long.

Serves 8

"How many shepherd's does it take to make shepherd's pie? One, if you slice 'em thin enough."~Anon