Roast breast of chicken with bacon and cabbage

Ok this is a simple dish that is inexpensive to make and tastes really good in my opinion....

6 slices of bacon cut into 1/4 inch strips                                                                        Serves 4
4 tablespoons cooking oil
4 boneless chicken breast halves
2 onions sliced
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
2/3 cup low salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons light cream or half and half
10 tablespoons butter or 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons
salt and pepper to taste 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cook bacon until crisp, drain and reserve on paper towels
3. In a large oven proof skillet heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and add the chicken skin side down and brown lightly for about 3 minutes per side
4. Transfer pan to oven and bake for 15 minutes
5. In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent after about 3-5 minutes add the cabbage and mix well
6. Add the broth and bring to a boil until cabbage is tender, about 10 minutes
7. With a slotted spoon transfer cabbage to four heated plates
8. Boil the cooking liquid until reduced by half, add the cream and boil until reduced by half again
9. Whisk in the butter, strain the sauce and add in the reserved strips of bacon
10. Slice the chicken onto the cabbage and pour the sauce around it.

Traditional Irish Shepherd's Pie

Ok just a short explanation of why the title says "traditional" and the recipe uses beef instead of lamb...lamb is expensive unless you live in New Zealand, Australia or Ireland

where being an actual shepherd is more common than the rest of the world where its the norm to be a cattle rancher. If you have the funds available to use the lamb the amounts and procedure is the same just use lamb gravy instead of beef gravy as well. Ok then lets start with the ingredients.

1 cup diced raw or cooked carrots if you're using fresh carrots boil them in salted water for about ten minutes then drain and set aside
1 onion sliced cooked in boiling salted water for about five minutes until tender
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
3 cups diced cooked beef or lamb
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup beef or lamb gravy ...just use the fat drippings, flour, and water method to make your own gravy powder mix is nasty.
2 cups mashed potatoes at room temperature
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk

Now that's out of the way here's how ya slap it all together and get a pie lol

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit 
2. In a 8 cup casserole dish combine vegetables, beef, salt and pepper
3. In a small saucepan make your gravy then pour over the meat and vegetable mix
4. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, then cover with the mashed potatoes
5. In a small bowl beat the egg and milk together and brush over the mashed potatoes
6. Return to the oven for 10 minutes then  place under the broiler for 5 minutes to brown the potatoes