Bison Go Bragh!

I'd love to write a great story to go with this one, but I have another dish I want to post so I have to save my brain cells. This is a super tasty version of Sheppard's Pie. You can sub beef, turkey, lamb, seitan or quinoa & mushroom for the bison and end up with a great dish. Enjoy.

Shepard's Pie (Bison Style)
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 90 min

Ingredients;
1 T vegetable oil
2 medium onions, rough chop
2 medium carrots, peeled, rough chop
1 large celery rib, rough chop
1 lb ground bison
2 cloves garlic, minced / pressed
1 t rosemary, dried
1 t thyme, dried
1 bay leaf, dried
.5 c fresh or frozen sweet peas
.5 c fresh or frozen sweet corn
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8's
2 T butter
.5 c half n half
1 bottle porter or ale
1-2 pints water
2 T Worcestershire
1 T butter
1 T or less flour
s&p

Method

1. Put pot of water (not pints of water) on to boil for potatoes.
2. Heat oil over medium high until just shimmering and add bison., Stab with wooden implement until the meat is in large crumbles and about half browned. Add onion, stir and cook a couple more minutes. Add a little salt and pepper, stir and add herbs, carrots & celery. Continue cooking and stirring until meat is cooked through and veggies are tender. You are not looking to brown the veggies here.
3. Add garlic and cook for a minute or 2.
4. Add beer, Worcestershire and 1 pint of water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to a simmer and cook.
   
5. Salt potato water with about .5 T salt once boiling. Boil potatoes till fork tender. Quickly drain (retain a little water) and return to pot. Mash with butter, half and half, a little garlic, s&p to taste. Mash only until potatoes are just broken down...pea sized lumps are ok. Over mashing / mixing will make taters gluey and gross. Once you get mashed, carefully fold / stir to incorporate ingredients...this will help keep them from getting gross. Set aside once they are done and taste good.
6. Check on stew parts, should be tender and lovely. Add peas and corn. Cover and continue cooking. You're going to need 2 or 3 ladles of liquid from that pot in a minute, so make sure that's in the pot. If its not, add beer and water till you get that much liquid.
7. Get a small whisk and a ladle take cover off your stew pot....then melt butter in small sauce pan over low, sprinkle in flour and stir like a freak until incorporated. Cook - stirring constantly - till light brown and reduce heat. Slowly whisk in one ladle of hot stock until thick, add more until you have a thick gravy. Return this thick gravy to the stew pot, stirring and increase heat a bit. Stew should thicken nicely.
8. Ladle thick thick stew into a casserole or individual oven safe bowls. Top with taters...they may sink, but they'll pop up again in the oven. You're looking to make a top crust with the taters..but don't worry about it if you just have some lumps - it will work out.
9. Place vessels on a baking sheet and broil until potatoes are browned.
10. Remove, let stand 3 -5 minutes. Serve.