Yuliya Childers is a self-proclaimed cooking and writing addict born…
This hearty, comforting dish is the perfect dinner for cool Autumn evenings.
By Yuliya Childers
Updated Comfort Food: Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
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- Author: Yuliya Childers
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
This hearty, comforting dish is the perfect dinner for cool Autumn evenings.
Ingredients
- 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
Yuliya Childers is a self-proclaimed cooking and writing addict born and raised in a cosmopolitan city of Odessa on the Black Sea coast. She started cooking at quite an early age and learned most of her skills by watching others and reading cook books. Made-from-scratch naturally grown food is her passion. Yuliya believes that truly good food either creates or invokes memories. Her blog Eat Already! is focused on everyday creative yet un-pretentious cooking that anyone with basic skill can replicate. Yuliya's recipes are usually accompanied by childhood memories or family stories related to the dish in some way. Her recipes are honest, eclectic, multi-cultural, imaginative, and often outside the box. Currently she's into artisan breads, traditional cooking, and everything fermented… Yuliya is cooking and writing about it from Alabama.