Shepherd's Vegetable Pie

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup regular or soy milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium-sized carrot, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable burger, crumbled
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups gravy (or just make "soy juice" as directed below)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Put the diced potatoes in a medium saucepan and fill with water until just covered. Sprinkle a little salt into the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat and cover, leaving to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until tender enough to mash. Drain and return to pan, then add milk and mash until smooth. Season with salt.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Oil a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish with vegetable oil, bottom and sides. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet on medium heat. When the oil is heated, put in the onion and carrot. Cover and cook (stirring a few times) until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the "meat" and frozen corn and peas, and add the seasonings (tamari/soy sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper). Finally, stir in 1 cup of gravy. If it seems dry, add a little more gravy. If you prefer your shepherd's pie to not be soupy at all, instead of making good gravy, just make a sort of "soy juice" to moisten it, as follows. Use one cup of vegetable soup (made with one cup water and one vegetable bouillon), and mix one and a half tablespoons of soy sauce into it, then dissolve one tablespoon of cornstarch in one and a half tablespoons of water and mix that in. Then just add a splash (about an eighth of a cup) of soy milk (or regular milk). Spoon the mix into the casserole dish. Heap the potatoes on top and smooth down, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil onto the top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes uncovered. Serve with biscuits and extra gravy!

Note: You can use your own gravy from a mix or whatever you want, but this recipe is designed to be used with a specific homemade gravy: Good Gravy. If you decide to use this recipe, it's a good idea to make it while the potatoes boil if you're on a tight schedule trying to get dinner on the table. Also, if you are not a vegetarian, there is no reason you can't use hamburger instead of fake meat for the ground beef part, and I personally don't like onion or thyme so I left them out of the recipe and it turned out fine. You are free to do the same with any of the vegetables or seasonings you don't like; it's a versatile recipe.