Lamb and Sweet Potato Shepherds Pie
St. Patrick’s Day is next week and here at Kitchy we love to celebrate. We run the St. Patrick’s Day 5K, I always buy a box of the limited edition St. Patrick’s Day Lucky Charms for the boys, and I whip up an Irish recipe or two. You know, something that uses Guinness or corned beef. Something that’s still reminiscent of the Irish holiday but isn’t green.
Nope, I don’t do green beer or green desserts or anything that needs green food coloring. I like to do classic recipes that use real ingredients and still fit with the holiday theme. In the past I’ve made stout brownies and corned beef rolls. I’ve even made a whole corned beef brisket with potatoes and carrots. But my favorite is shepherds pie.
What I love about shepherds pie is how warm and comforting it is. It’s perfect for those chilly evenings before the snow has melted, when the wind whips off the hills and the temperature drops below freezing. Those thick mashed potatoes and savory ground beef are not only delicious on the palate, it coats your stomach and heats you from the inside out. It’s like a thick, cozy blanket on a chilly night. I love it! But better yet, so do the kids. But you know what my favorite thing about Shepherds Pie is? The fact that there’s no hard and fast rule on how to make it.
I know the standard is white mashed potatoes and ground beef. But who says you can’t use ground chicken or lamb. Why can’t you slice the potatoes or mash up a couple sweet potatoes instead? What about using some cinnamon or allspice instead of the standard salt and pepper? All these options still make up a shepherds pie, it just gives it a different flavor. It’s still delicious, it’s just a little more interesting.
I love interesting. Don’t get me wrong, I love the original, but I love the re-imagined version as well. And since my boys prefer yams over plain, ordinary white potatoes, I tend to go the orange route more often than not. I also love lamb, cinnamon and cumin. Those ingredients not only make the dish healthier, they also give it a Middle Eastern flair. The final result is a scrumptious, savory dish that may not be green, but is perfect for the green holiday.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon , divided
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 cup peas
Instructions
- Fill a pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender, Drain.
- Add the butter, 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and salt, 1 clove of minced garlic and the milk and mash together until well combined. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic. Add the lamb and carrots and continue to cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste until combined.
- Add the flour and wine and stir until slightly thickened. Add the chicken stock a little at a time and stir until combined, thick and saucy. Stir in the remaining cinnamon, salt, pepper, cumin, onion powder and peas until combined.
- Remove from heat and spread the sweet potato mash over the lamb mixture. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until bubbling on the sides. Serve immediately.
