I made Ina Garten's shepherd's pie, and the easy recipe made enough to feed a whole family and still have leftovers

A bag of potatoes typically weighs around 5 pounds, but the recipe only called for 3 pounds of potatoes. I found, in the end, that this was the perfect amount to fully cover the pie.

I then simmered the potatoes until they were tender. This took about 20 minutes.

The recipe called for finely diced carrots, celery, and white button mushrooms. I decided to use a food processor to easily chop up my vegetables. I liked the end result and found this was the simplest way to prepare all the vegetables in seconds.

After my vegetables were chopped, I set them aside in a small bowl and turned my attention towards cooking the meat.

You can use practically any kind of ground meat you would like, or even plant-based ground meat if you're vegetarian. I ended up liking the choice of ground turkey since it made the very stick-to-your-bones meal a little bit lighter than if I had used meat with higher fat content.

I ended up using a package and a half of ground turkey.

While the turkey cooked, I crumbled it into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Once the meat was fully cooked, I removed it from the pan with a slotted metal spoon and left behind the fat in the pan.

I chopped it using the food processor again and added it to the pan.

I started to sauté the onion, and it filled my kitchen with a delicious aroma. There should be enough fat in the pan from the turkey to sauté the onion, but you can also add olive oil or butter if you don't have enough liquid.

I also added flour to the pan, which created a paste-like combination. 

I also added in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and frozen peas to the pan and continued cooking the filling until it reached a simmer.

I removed the bay leaves and herb sprigs before seasoning the mixture to taste and setting it aside.

After draining the potatoes, I hand-mashed them in the same pot I cooked them in. The recipe called for using a hand mixer, but I found a potato masher to be just as effective at making creamy mashed potatoes, especially after adding in a mixture of whole milk, almost a stick of Kerry Gold butter, and sour cream.

I seasoned them to taste and set them aside. I then preheated my oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

There was a perfect amount of filling to create a thick layer.

Despite never having made this dish before, I found the process easy to follow and not overwhelming at all. I also had a spoonful of mashed potatoes left over to taste and thought they were delicious.

I cooked the pie in the oven for about half an hour, although the recipe suggested it would be done after 20 minutes.

All ovens can vary slightly different with cook time, so I would suggest checking on the dish until you're happy with the result.

It didn't quite hold its shape, but I imagine it would have if I had let the pie sit for a minute or two before I served it. However, I simply couldn't resist diving in. 

The mashed potatoes were creamy, the filling was perfectly seasoned, and the vegetables all came through in a medley of flavors. It was simple enough to be convenient for a fall or winter weeknight meal, yet impressive enough for a dinner party or even game day. 

The recipe also made enough to feed at least four people, with plenty of leftovers, so it also seemed a cost-effective option to feed a family or to prep meals for the week.

In my book, this traditional recipe got a thumbs up.