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I have used the English name for this dish, but the dish itself is a logical invention that could have happened any place where potatoes and mutton are eaten. I occasionally make it to use up leftover Sunday roast.

250 g leftover meat (for this to be a real shepherd’s pie, it should be mutton. If it’s beef, the dish is called Cottage Pie)
25 g butter, margarine or other cooking fat
2 tbs flour
250-300 ml meat broth or gravy
Some left-over mashed potatoes

In case you don’t have left-over mashed potatoes:
750 g cooked potatoes
100-200 ml milk
25 g butter or margarine
Salt and pepper
1 finely chopped onion
Breadcrumbs
Cheese, grated

Make the mashed potatoes, using this method but the above ingredients. Add the onion when the mash is ready to eat. It is also good to add one beaten egg or two beaten egg whites into the mash (I never do this, but it probably makes a better crust).

The meat can be either boiled or roasted, but this does not suit smoked meats.
Grease an oven proof dish and sprinkle in some breadcrumbs. Slice the meat and arrange in the bottom of the dish. Pour the gravy on top. Top with the mashed potatoes and sprinkle with some grated cheese and breadcrumbs.

Bake at about 175°C for 20-30 minutes, or until hot through.

If there is no gravy or sauce, make some gravy with a little broth thickened with a paste of flour and water and a little bit of sauce browning added.

Our sweet potatoes did not produce all that much last year, but we are eating them and they are good. Next year we will try to grow more of them. We grew 2 kinds, a fairly standard orange one and a white one called Frazier White. They do taste slightly different, although just as good as the darker ones. You can certainly use whatever sweet potatoes you like for this.

The Jamaican curry is something I picked up last time I was in Toronto and Im enjoying it very much. Mine is quite mild, so you may wish to adjust the amount of curry powder you put in, depending on what you are able to get.

4 servings
1 3/4 hours - 1 hour prep time


Make the Sweet Potato Topping:
1 1/2 kilos (3 pounds) sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Wash the sweet potatoes, and stab them with a fork. Bake for about 45 minute to 1 hour, until soft. Let them cool enough to handle, then peel and mash with the butter and salt. Meanwhile...

Make the Filling:
1 cup diced celeriac
1 large onion
2 medium carrots
2 cups frozen corn
500 grams (1 pound) ground beef
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 tablespoons Jamaican or other mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Peel and dice the celeriac, onion and carrots. Set the corn out to thaw.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and crumble in the beef. Cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Add the celeriac, onion and carrots, and continue cooking and stirring until they are softened and browned in spots as well. Add the seasonings and cook for another few minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the corn.

Put the beef and vegetables into an 8" x 11" baking pan, and top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Return to the oven and bake for 30 minutes to an hour and a quarter, until lightly browned and bubbling. (Baking time will depend on whether it goes straight in or whether you allow it to cool, and refrigerate it before proceeding.)




Last year at this time I made Cocoa Oatmeal, Dried Corn Baked with Cream & Cheese and Ambrosia.

Cooking light- gluten-free shepherd's pie with lovely gravy, two ways.

A cold rain is rolling through Connecticut, interrupting a whisper of mist with sudden bursts of stinging wet drops. The skies are wooly gray, gloomy and low. It's the kind of day that calls for comfort in the form of food. Something baked in a crock. Something piping hot and old fashioned. Something with mashed potatoes...

A savory pie, I said out loud, standing at the kitchen sink, listening to the staccato of rain drumming the skylights.

Don't tease me, said my husband, looking up from his latest screenplay.

I wouldn't joke about a thing like pie, I assured him.

Seriously. I'm thinking a shepherd's pie, I said. But not the usual shepherd's pie. No beef. No onion. No peas.

Please, he said. No peas.

You know, that could get you into trouble, I told him. Your pea prejudice. The foodie police will be at our door before you know it. Demanding equal time for peas. And I'm already in enough trouble with their ilk.

Their ilk? he asked.

Read more + get the recipe >>

Children simply love to help make  and eat this dish - a great family bonding time..

Servings: (4)
Prep Time: 15 Mins.
Bake: 15 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. extra-lean venison burger (or beef, buffalo, moose, elk, caribou, turkey, or chicken)
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup green onions, sliced (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
¼ cup orange bell pepper, finely chopped
1 (14.5 oz. can) chili beans, slightly drained (Recommend: Bush’s Best, Mild)
1-1/2 cups chili sauce
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (4 oz. can) mild chopped green chilies, undrained
2 cups prepared or left over mashed potatoes
1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup nacho doritos, crushed

--1 tablespoon reserved sliced green onions for garnish

METHOD

Prepare two cups mashed potatoes, or use left overs.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9”x9” square baking dish, and set aside.

Cook burger in a medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is ¾’s browned, and add the garlic, half of the onion (1/4 cup), and all of the bell pepper in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is fully browned (drain if not using extra-lean burger). Stir in beans, chili sauce, chili powder, corn, mild green chilies, and heat to boiling, cover, and reduce heat to low to simmer for 5 minutes.

If cold, heat mashed potatoes in microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, spoon the meat/bean mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon, and spoon the hot mashed potatoes on top onto center of beef mixture while leaving a 1.5” rim around outer edge of baking dish; sprinkle shredded cheese over potatoes and outer edge of beef/bean mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until bubbly and cheese has melted. Remove from oven and sprinkle crushed nacho doritos around outer edge of baking dish over meat/bean mixture, garnish with sliced green onions, and serve. – Enjoy!

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Tip: You can also spread all the layers to the edge of the baking dish if you’re not worried about presentation appearance.