Shepherd's Pie

My wife gave me a task.  Make something that is:

1. Hearty
2. Healthy
3. Fall Themed

I got out one of our newer cookbooks and selected about 4-5 dishes that I thought met the criteria.  Then I let her choose from those which one I would make.  She went for the Shepherd's Pie with ground Turkey and Sweet Potatoes.

My wife loves sweet potatoes.  And anything that is chock full of vegetables usually rates pretty highly in her book.  So when a recipe calls for zucchini, carrots, corn, onions, tomato sauce, and sweet potatoes ... she's in!

I had never made Shepherd's Pie before.  But this blog is all about challenging myself to try new things.  I am admittedly a huge fan of English soccer ("football"), but English foods are not something most people think of when they want something to eat.  Aside from fish 'n chips, I imagine most Americans don't eat much English food.  But this is a dish that is very approachable.  So I recommend giving it a shot, folks.

Boil the peeled & chopped potatoes in salted water with garlic.  You want to impart some savory flavor (or flavours if we're being British) into the sweet potatoes.  This isn't that marshmallow concoction from Thanksgiving after all.  When they're tender, mash them and whip them up with a little skim milk.  We're being healthy here, remember?

Meanwhile you should brown the ground turkey and add the chopped onions, sage, salt & pepper, and then the vegetables.  Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, and a little water and let them all simmer together for a while. Pour it all into a casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes.  Then bake.  It's really that simple.

I tried to give you a nice cross-section picture here.  Hopefully it gives you some idea of what's waiting underneath the surface.