St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious and hearty meal?
Shepherd’s Pie has long been a favorite in our household; it’s easy to prepare, utilizes common ingredients most of us have on hand, and can be stretched to feed anywhere from a few people to an entire army. I love sitting down to a piping hot serving after a long day at work; the aromas are so therapeutic, and seeing the steam wafting from the bowl just brings about the most soothing feeling.
When I decided to make this, I decided to veer slightly from tradition, but still maintain the integrity of the dish. After all, you can only adjust a recipe so much before it takes on an entirely new face, no? So rather than go all crazy and try to tweak every little aspect, I picked the common denominators – the ground meat and the usual mashed potatoes – and decided to just play around with those.
The result? Lean ground turkey and mashed cauliflower!
This take is full of flavor, texture, and…it just makes you feel good. In my humble opinion, that is the best kind of dinner – fresh, simple, and leaves you feeling good; maybe wanting more, or…maybe just reach for a Guinness and call it a night. Your call!
Slainte!
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Shepherd’s Pie {adapted from Epicurious}
What better way to ring in the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day than with a traditional dish? Quintessential in our household, this will satisfy the pickiest of palettes. The best part? – it’s healthy and good for you!
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground meat {I used a 93% lean ground turkey – but feel free to use ground beef, ground lamb, etc.}
1 to 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 to 1-1/2 cups frozen peas, cooked and cooled slightly
mashed cauliflower {here’s my version!}
salt and pepper, to taste
optional: grated cheese of your choice for topping
To Prepare:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a glass baking dish {8″x 8″ or 9″x 9″} with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Alternatively, like I did, you could use two individual baking dishes.
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrot, garlic and meat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain the fat and then add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and herbs. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
In the baking dish{es}, layer in the meat mixture, then the cooked peas, and finally top with the meat mixture. Garnish as you like with cheese.
Bake until golden brown and bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.
kitchen konfidential 