Comfort Food: Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato Topping

Posted by Lesli

(Pictures by Lesli)

There are few things more comforting on a freezing day than Shepherd's Pie. Well, that and a beach. Or one of these.

I know, I'm predictable. It always comes back to chocolate for me...

Okay, back to Shepherd's Pie.

Why is it called Shepherd's Pie, search me, or search the internet. All I can tell you is that it typically has a bottom layer of browned ground meat (beef, pork, chicken) along with onions; then a middle layer of vegetables (peas and carrots are common); and then a top layer of mashed potatoes. In my version, I use mashed sweet potatoes for extra nutrition, of course.

I've seen vegetarian versions of Shepherd's Pie referred to as Shepherdess Pie, using beans as the protein.

Here's my version, serve it alongside crusty Italian bread.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. of lean ground beef/pork
1 c. onions, diced
2 lbs. of sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 1/2 c. beef broth, canned
4 c. Mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, cauliflower, green beans)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. thyme

Directions:

1. Preaheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Scrub sweet potatoes. Bake in preheated oven until soft, 45-60 minutes. removed from oven, reduce oven to 375 degrees.
3. Peel potatoes when they are cool enough to handle. Mash and set aside.
4. In a large pot, brown meat. Add onions.
5. Add broth and spices. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Scoop the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Spread evenly.
7. Layer the vegetables on top of the meat mixture.
8. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the top of the vegetables.
9. Bake in the oven for abour 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Happy Cooking,

- Lesli

(Right out of the oven!)

TAGS: Casseroles, Comfort Foods, Cozy Foods, Dark Chocolate, Quick Casseroles, Shepherds Pie, Shepherdess Pie
POST TOOLS:

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· Making Hummus is recipe for fun
· Tortilla Soup Roundup
· Barack Obama's Canadian Lunch Menu on Parliament Hill in Ottawa

[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

KCK's Mom said:

Shepherd's Pie comes from the original recipe using lamb for the meat. Because many people aren't real crazy about the flavor of lamb, and it's not always readily available; beef, pork, chicken or turkey are used in place of it.

Just my 2 cents worth!

Posted at 08:44 PM, on August 31 2010

2

Karen Farrar said:

I have never willingly eaten shepherds pie until I tried this recipe. I loathe mashed potatoes and peas, so it was great to see this recipe using sweet potatoes instead. I substituted lima beans for the peas and used up some leftover pot roast for the meat. I also included some mushrooms. Great recipe, thanks for posting it!

Posted at 04:47 PM, on November 25 2010

Comfort Food: Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato Topping

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.