Doesn’t sound that far from Shepard’s Pie though, a tasty dish beloved by zillions.
Oh certainly changing the presentation, texture, and separation of the ingredients can make a big difference in a dish! I’d say the difference between “depression dinner” and Shepard’s pie is like the difference between cake batter and cake — they’re both made up of the exact same stuff, but one is a gloopy mess you’d probably not want to eat a whole bowl of, and the other is delicious cake you’ll want a second serving of.
I hear ya, altho at the same time your DD as is doesn’t sound that bad to me.
Of course, I’d want to drain the hell out of that ground beef and cook it with some chili mix, too. Without some simple steps like that I could indeed see how it might taste more like oily Gerbers.
