A warm, bubbly cottage pie (what shepherd’s pies are called when they aren’t made with lamb) is easy to prepare. Baking them in individually-sized dishes helps them heat through quickly; if you double the recipe, they can be frozen and baked straight from the freezer for an even speedier meal down the road.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Cottage Pie
2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
canola or olive oil, for cooking
1 lb lean ground beef or bison
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 carrots, diced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup butter
1/4-1/2 cup milk
Directions for Sweet Potato Cottage Pie
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Place sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, drizzle some oil into a large skillet set over medium-high and cook the beef and onion together for 4-5 min, breaking meat up with a spoon until no longer pink inside.
Sprinkle flour over meat mixture and stir, then add the stock, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring often, until mixture thickens. Stir in carrots and peas, season with salt and pepper and divide between four small baking dishes (or one large one).
When fork-tender, drain potatoes and return them to the pot with butter and milk. Roughly mash, then divide between the baking dishes, spreading the potatoes out to cover the meat. Place on a baking sheet to catch any drips and place in the oven for 30 min, or until heated through and bubbly.
Serve cottage pie with a tossed green or spinach salad. Serves 6.
