Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
This Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie gives the classic dish a sweet twist! Packed with hearty vegetables and your choice of beef, bison or venison.
- Prep Time: 45
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 1 hr 5 min
- Yield: 6-8
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
Ingredients
- 5 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 1 large, yellow onion, diced
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced carrots
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced celery
- 1 lb. ground venison (or beef, lamb or bison)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. ground sage
- 1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 cup dark beer, like Guinness or a stout
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3lbs. sweet potatoes (about 4-5 sweet potatoes)
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg (fresh if you have it)
- Optional – fresh sage, 2 Tbsp. butter – for crispy sage
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Start by heating the 1 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Also, put a large pot of water on to boil the sweet potatoes in.
- Add the diced onion, carrots and celery to the skillet and saute until they start to soften, which takes about 8 minutes.
- Then add the ground venison and brown, this takes about 10 minutes. Next add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, thyme, and sage. Saute everything for 2 additional minutes to let the spices release their flavor.
- Add the beer and cider vinegar and allow the alcohol to cook off, this takes about 5 minutes. Finally, stir in the tomato paste.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and turn it down to simmer for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the sweet potatoes. When you’re ready to assemble the dish, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the frozen peas.
- When your water is boiling, cube the potatoes and carefully add them to the pot. Boil them for about 15 minutes, you want them to be nice and soft.
- Drain and add the potatoes to a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer. Start whipping the potatoes with a standing or handheld mixer (or by hand) and add in the remaining butter. Gradually add the milk until you get the texture you want. I like my potatoes to be a little thinner than mashed potatoes for this dish. It helps the topping get nice and crispy.
- Spoon the meat filling into a greased casserole dish, and then top with the whipped sweet potatoes. Smooth the sweet potatoes out into an even layer.
- Bake the Shepherd’s Pie for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- To top with some crispy sage, allow the two tablespoons of butter to get hot in a small saucepan over medium heat. Then add the sage for 2-3 minutes until it turns fragrant and darker in color. Remove from the butter and set on a towel to drain.
- Top the pie with the sage and serve!
Find it online: https://www.missallieskitchen.com/sweet-potato-shepherds-pie/
