I kept the full 8 serving portions for the potato mixture (potatoes, butter, and eggs), but cut everything else in half. I also used red potatoes, with the skins. I added about 1/2 t cumin and a few shakes of chili powder, and went a little heavy on my pinch of cayenne pepper. Lastly, I used Monterey jack cheese into the ground beef mixture, and then in the last 10 minutes of baking, I added about 2 T more of the same cheese to the top of the pie. Smells great as it cooks. Conclusion: Good comfort food for a cold autumn evening! The boyfriend has never had Sheperd's Pie, and he enjoyed this. Will make it again...

Wonderful recipe, and very pretty, too.