Day 4 - Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato

When our family first decided to have some healthier ingredients in our meals, I was bummed at the thought of losing some great dishes that had ground beef in the recipe.  Thank goodness for ground turkey and ground chicken.  We can still have meatloaf, spaghetti with meatballs and shepherd's pie...

Swapping out the traditional potato for the sweet potato give this dish a sweet and savory flavor.  My daughter loved the combination.  My son...not so much!

Ingredients:
Sweet Potato Topping:

6 C      Sweet potatoes

4 Tbsp Butter, cut into pieces

1/2 C   Sour Cream (I used plain yogurt)

1 C      Grated cheese

Paprika

Ingredients:

Meat Filling:

2 Tbsp   Butter

1            Large onion, chopped

1            Rib celery, chopped

1 1/2 lb. Ground Chicken

1 clove   Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp   Flour

1 C        Chicken broth

1 C        Canned diced tomatoes

1 tsp      Dried thyme

1/2 tsp   Dried rosemary

1 1/2 C  Mixed veggies (frozen)

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Boil potatoes, uncovered, over high heat until soft.  While the potatoes are cooking, begin the meat filling.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Saute onions and celery in butter, stirring often, about 6 minutes.  Add chicken, cook until done.  Lower heat, stir in garlic and flour.  Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, herbs, veggies and Worcestershire sauce.  Simmer mixture for several minutes until slightly thickened.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer mixture to 13x9 in casserole dish.

Drain the cooked potatoes and transfer them to a large mixing bowl.  Scatter butter and sour cream over the potatoes (I actually left the skin on the sweet potatoes for extra fiber).  Mix to a medium soft consistency.  Spoon potatoes evenly over the meat filling.  Sprinkle cheese on top.  Sprinkle paprika over the cheese. 

Bake in the center rack for about 20 minutes.  Cool for several minutes before serving. 

Perfect comfort for the chilly weather we are having!