Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie

Served!

One day while I was reading the Sunday paper I came across a very unique take on the classic Irish/English dish, Shepherd’s Pie (an English meat pie). I usually make the traditional Irish recipe in March for my yearly Saint Patrick’s Day Feast, which my husband always looks forward to. I decided to give this recipe a whirl and see how it stands up to the original dish. I was quite pleased with the results and I hope you will too. My husband said he can’t wait for me to make this again. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. I really enjoyed the slight spicy kick and I hope you do to.

As I’ve said in previous posts, I cannot eat peppers, so I post it as an option. To stay close to the original Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie recipe I did use Del Monte’s Fiesta Corn with Red & Green Peppers (not a whole lot, just enough that didn’t make me sick).  I recommend preparing the sweet potatoes in advance or while you are preparing the meat mixture, it will save you some time. Enjoy!

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Mashed Sweet Potato  Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Sweet Potatoes/Yams, peeled and cut into chunks (leave the skins on for an extra health benefits)

• 2 Tablespoons Butter

• 1/2 Cup Milk

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

• 1 Medium Sweet Onion, Diced

• 3/4 Cup Carrots, Chopped

• 2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic

• 1 Pound Organic Ground Beef or Ground Turkey

• 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder

• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

• 2 Cups Chopped Tomatoes

• 1 – 15 Ounce Can of Corn, Drained (if not using the optional  peppers, I recommend using Fiesta Canned Corn-I used Del Monte)

• 1 – 16 Ounce Can of Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed.

• 1/4 Cup Chopped Cilantro

Optional: • 1/8 Teaspoon Pepper

Optional: • 1/8 Teaspoon Salt

For a Spicier Kick Add: • 1 Small Green Bell Pepper, diced and • 1 Tablespoon Green Jalapeño Pepper, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Place sweet potatoes in sauce pan with water to cover.
3. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes.
4. Drain; remove potatoes from pot and place into large bowl.
5. Add butter and milk to boiled potatoes.
6. Mash well and set aside.
7. Heat olive oil in a large pot/large frying pan with high sides or wok (which I used) over medium low heat.
8. Add onion, carrot and bell pepper (If adding Green Pepper); cook, constantly stirring, for about 10 minutes.
9. Add garlic and jalapeño pepper (If adding Jalapeño Pepper); cook, constantly stirring, for about 2 minutes.
10. Increase heat to medium; add ground beef and brown, constantly stirring, for about 5-8 minutes.
11. Add tomato paste and spices, except for Cilantro, constantly stirring, for about 2 minutes.
12. Add tomatoes; simmer until liquid reduces, about 8- 12 minutes.
13. Add corn, beans and 4 Tablespoons cilantro. Combine well.
14. Spoon into a 9″ x 9″ backing dish, spreading evenly. (I used a larger backing dish so it would yield more servings, see photo)
15. Spread mashed sweet potatoes over the meat mixture.
16. Bake in preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes.
17. Garnish with remaining cilantro.
18. ENJOY!

Serves 4 to 6 – NUTRITION INFOMATION: Calories: 460 – Total Fat: 19g – Cholesterol: 80mg – Total Carbs: 49g – Protein: – 29g