Shepherd’s Pie

First of all, if you missed it yesterday, please check out this opportunity to be a part of a new cookbook that is publishing very soon. Bloggers and non-bloggers are welcome to submit recipes.

http://traveleatlove.me/2012/02/attention-boston-bloggers/ 

 

Hearty, warm, comforting, and mostly healthy, shepherd’s pie is a cold weather staple that can be changed up to suit the individuals making and eating it. The best part about shepherd’s pie, is of course, the leftovers. I made this shepherd’s pie for dinner on Tuesday night, and it made dinner for two and six lunches. There’s nothing I love more than having lunches out of the way. For some reason I have always hated making work week lunches!

image

There are many shepherd’s pie recipes out there, some vegetarian, many using beef or lamb, and some, like mine, that use ground lean turkey as the filler of choice.

I started off my pie by boiling four large Idaho potatoes and one sweet potato that had been hanging around, just waiting to be eaten.

image

While the potatoes were cooking, I thawed some sweet corn.

image

Chopped up half of a yellow onion

image

And I used my mandolin to cut perfect carrots. 

image

Photos are missing, but I cooked the turkey and onions in a little bit of olive oil in a pan, then added the carrots and corn and 3/4 of a bottle of this delicious Stovepipe Porter that we picked up in Vermont. Vermont has some great beer!

image

The beer added a great flavor and richness to the turkey and veggie mixture. While it simmered on low, I got my potatoes mashed with some butter, cream, and salt. I ended up with way more mashed potatoes than I needed, but who doesn’t love leftover mashed potatoes?! As you can tell, I left the skins on the potato. I’m not lazy, I actually like the skins, and they have all of the fiber.

image

I popped the shepherd’s pie into the oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. At the end, I set the oven to broil for about two minutes to brown the top. It was delish!

On the side we had shredded Brussels sprouts sautéed in a bit of olive oil and topped with an almond “cheese” sauce I made. I have seen so many vegan cheese sauces made with nuts, and I had some almonds in the house so I decided to make my own. I played with a mix of almonds, olive oil, water, nutritional yeast, and garlic until I got it nice and smooth. It didn’t taste like cheese or remind me of cheese in the least, but it was good!

image

This meal provided the perfect mix of protein and vegetables for us. It was definitely a winner!

Since we’re talking recipes, do you have an all-time favorite?

Tags: beer, dinner, Food, recipe

  1. Erica @ In and Around Town’s avatar

    I love Shepherd’s Pie but never think to make it – love your addition of ground turkey to cut a few calories. I am also a huge leave the skin on the potatoes type of girl, it just adds something extra.

    Reply

  2. Jean | Delightful Repast’s avatar

    I’m with you–I love getting lunches out of the way too. Looks delicious! I’ve been using ground turkey in my shepherd’s pie for years and was especially pleased the time I was complimented on it by a person who claims to hate ground turkey and “always tell the difference”! But beef is good, too. And sometimes I make it vegetarian. But in my English family, the one ingredient that must always be included is peas; we love our peas! Your Brussels sprouts are the perfect accompaniment!

    Reply

  3. Megan’s avatar

    I really like that you used ground turkey in here and that you left the skins on the potatoes. This is such great comfort food!

    Reply

  4. Emily @ A Cambridge Story’s avatar

    This looks SOOO good. Exactly what I wish I had for lunch right now, especially with the side of brussels.

    Reply

  5. Daisy’s avatar

    i love having weekday lunches. you are always so good about making dinner recipes that yield a lot of leftovers!

    Reply

  6. Elizabeth’s avatar

    I’ve seen some really interesting vegetarian versions. I’d love to try one.

    Reply

  7. Michelle’s avatar

    Yum! I love Shepherd’s pie! I made a cottage pie this fall and it was so hearty and delicious!

    Reply

new restaurant
WordPress SEO fine-tune by Meta SEO Pack from Poradnik Webmastera