St. Patrick's Day Shephard's Pie

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Did y'all wear green today?  I made sure to!  I've always hated the tradition of pinching people.  I take no risks.

Ken loves the fact that St. Patrick's Day means he'll get a shephard's pie.  He adores shephard's pie.  Up until today I've always felt that my shepherd's pie has been missing something.  It never looked as pretty as all the pictures I've seen online.  I have found the perfect recipe though.  I guess I should say, I altered the perfect recipe.

Alton Brown never ceases to amaze me.  It is his recipe that I started out with.  I made very few alterations.  

Vegetarian Shephard's Pie with Green Mashed Potatoes
Adapted from:  Alton Brown's Shephard Pie
For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
.25 cup skim milk
.25 cup fat free cream cheese 
2-3 cups chopped cooked broccoli (I used leftover.  You can either puree it in a food processor or chop it by hand)

Filling
2 medium onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 T minced garlic
1 bag of Boca Soy Crumbles
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
3 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
.5 cup corn kernels
.5 cup peas


Directions

1. Peel and chop potatoes.
2. Place in a pot and cover with cold water
3. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until soft.
4. Drain, put back into pot, add milk and cream cheese, and mash until smooth 
5. Mix in broccoli until combined evenly.  Set aside
6. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
7. Spray a large pan and heat over med-high.
8. Add onions and carrots and cook until slightly soft, adding a bit of water to keep them from sticking
9. Add Boca crumbles, tomato paste and flour. Evenly cover the crumbles and vegetables with flour
10. Add in broth, wocestershire, rosemary, thyme and stir together.
11. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer.  Let it go for 10-12 minutes or until the sauce is thick
12. Add corn and peas and simmer for approximately 1-2 minutes
13. Grease an 11x7 baking dish and pour filling in.
14. Carefully top with mashed potatoes, spreading evenly.
15. Bake for 20 minutes.  
16. When you remove it from the oven make sure to let it sit and cool for a while.

What do you normally make for St. Patrick's Day?  Do you go with an Irish theme or a green theme?