This hearty, comforting dish is the perfect dinner for cool Autumn evenings.
By Yuliya Childers
Updated Comfort Food: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This hearty, comforting dish is the perfect dinner for cool Autumn evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbsp cooking fat, I used tallow
- 1 large onion
- 4–5 medium carrots, I used multicolored ones, just for fun
- 2 stalks celery
- 3–4 cloves garlic
- 1 lbs ground beef or lamb, not too fatty
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 generous tbsp mustard, I used Dijon
- 1 large ripe tomato
- 1 generous tbsp ketchup
- few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 small bay leaves
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 medium red potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1/4 cup cream or sour cream
- 1–2 oz of grated cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and dice potatoes and sweet potatoes. Cover with cold water in a sauce pan. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until done, for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, In a large skillet, heat the cooking fat over medium low
- Dice carrots, onions and celery uniformly (small dice)
- Chop or sliver garlic
- Add vegetables to the skillet and saute, occasionally stirring, for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft, golden and fragrant.
- Add ground meat at this time, breaking it down with a spatula.
- Add thyme and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Saute with vegetables and ultimately brown, for about 10 minutes more.
- Add wine, and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen all the stuck bits. Stir well. Continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes longer, or until wine reduces in half.
- Add mustard, finely chopped ripe tomato and ketchup at this time. Stir everything very well and continue cooking, stirring frequently for about 5-6 more minutes, or until wine is almost completely absorbed.
- When potatoes are ready, drain the water carefully.
- Add about 1/4 cup cream or sour cream, and mash nicely. Check for salt and adjust if necessary.
- Add a small handful of fresh thyme leaves, reserving a little bit for garnish.
- If desire, add a handful of grated cheese and mash again.
- Transfer the meat filling into an ovenproof casserole dish or a cast iron skillet, level with a spatula.
- Fold the mashed potatoes out over the filling. Level with a moistened spatula, ensuring a good seal around the edges of the casserole.
- Make patterns on the potatoes with a fork, if desire. Sprinkle a small amount of fresh thyme leaves over the potatoes.
- Bake in the middle of the preheated to 400°F (200°C) oven for about 30 minutes, or until potatoes are nicely golden, and browned on top.
- Let the pie stand for a few minutes before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main
