Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

A warm, bubbly cottage pie (what shepherd’s pies are called when they aren’t made with lamb) is simple 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

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. (30 mL) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) beef stock or broth
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) tomato paste or ketchup
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Worcestershire sauce
2 carrots, diced
1/2 cup (125 mL) frozen green peas
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup (60 mL) butter
1/4-1/2 cup (60-125 mL) milk

Directions

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 it over medium-high heat and cook the beef and onion together for 4-5 minutes, breaking the 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 the 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 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.

Serve the pies with a tossed green or spinach salad.