Yes, there is a little spice in this – but not TOO much.  And boy, whoever eats this had better come to the table hungry!  I really don’t know why you would need much to eat with it, though I suppose that you could go with a slightly smaller serving and squeeze a small salad and bit of bread onto the plate, if you like.

In any event, you can have a nice, full meal with some Italian kick ready in under an hour.  I call that a win!  And I’ve come to the conclusion I must be Italian at heart, since this is my new comfort food as well!

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces provolone or mozzarella cheese, shredded (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 pounds bulk sweet or hot Italian sausage
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped (3/4 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 12 ounce package frozen peas (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped bottled pepperoncini salad peppers
2 tablespoons yellow mustard (I used French’s)
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
Snipped oil-packed dried tomatoes and/or basil leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large saucepan cook potatoes in enough lightly salted boiling water to cover for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer on low speed. Gradually add sour cream, milk and salt, mashing or beating to make potato mixture light and fluffy. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook sausage, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until brown, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off any fat. Stir in undrained tomatoes, peas, pepperoncini, mustard, and oregano. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to blend flavors.

3. Spoon sausage mixture into a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes in mounds over sausage mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake about 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese melts. Top with dried tomatoes and basil, if desired.

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Quick tip: Use your favorite cheeses for this dish.

Thanks to Recipe.com for this delicious shepherd’s pie recipe.