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Monday, October 19, 2009

Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie



I had never actually had shepherds pie before making this....but I remember reading somewhere something about sweet potato shepherds pie and I couldn't stop thinking about it (and I realize that makes me sound really lame, but I do spend a lot of time thinking of meals for us to try :)). I like anything with sweet potatoes! Because I'll be gone on travel Wednesday through Saturday, and eating at work events Monday and Tuesday, I wanted to make a Sunday night dinner that would provide Ryan with leftovers. I gave him a choice between some sort of soup and sweet potato shepherds pie and he opted for the latter.

While I perused a few shepherds pie recipes, I ultimately decided to just kind of wing it. Thankfully, this turned out okay, and all four of us (my brother-in-law and his girlfriend, Pam, also joined us for dinner) liked the dish. Sometime I think I'll have to make this for my brother who LOVES shepherds pie (although something tells me he won't be a fan of the non-traditional sweet potato topping!).

Ingredients:
-1 lb ground turkey
-2 large carrots, chopped
-3 stalks celery, chopped
-1 onion, sliced
-2 cups chicken broth
-4 tablespoons cornstarch
-1 cup frozen peas
-1 cup frozen corn
-seasoned salt, pepper, oregano, & garlic powder (to taste)
-2 large sweet potatoes, cooked & mashed

Directions:
1. Brown turkey in a large skillet.
2. Add carrots, celery, and onion. Pour in chicken broth.
3. Bring mixture to a simmer and add the cornstarch, stirring to thicken.
4. Add peas and corn, continuing to heat over medium-high heat and stirring occasionally.

5. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder.
6. Pour turkey mixture into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.

7. Top with mashed sweet potatoes (note: we peeled and cut our potatoes into chunks, microwaved them in a large bowl (we were short on time), added a little milk and butter, and mashed)
8. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.
9. Scoop into bowls & serve!

**There was more filling than could fit in the baking dish, so you could either make more mashed potatoes & cook in a 13 x 9 pan, or just eat the extra filling plain, as Ryan will be doing :)