Wow, it’s been over a month since I posted, though it feels like it’s been even longer than that. Life has been a bit crazy for me so far this year — changes, growth, opportunity and lots of things to think about. Seriously, the month of January alone felt like it was a year long. In reality, it’s all good — it’s just been a bit exhausting and slightly chaotic. Anyway, onward and upward!
Meanwhile, I never really knew what the difference was between cottage and shepherd’s pie, but apparently, cottage pie is typically made with beef and shepherd’s pie made with lamb (not sure why the whole shepherd and lamb thing never occurred to me). So, I guess I’m naming this one appropriately. I do have other variations of shepherd’s pie/cottage pie/whatever you want to call it in the archives as well. Check those out HERE and HERE. One is made with ground turkey and has a winter squash topping, and the other is made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey and has a cauliflower mash topping. All three versions are a little different, but all delicious!
Topping Ingredients:
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into large florets
- 1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 small sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Place sweet potato and russet potato pieces in a steam basket and bring to a simmer on the stove. After 5 minutes, add the cauliflower florets and steam for another 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender.
- Add the cooked vegetables, butter, sea salt and black pepper to a food processor. Process until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Set aside.
Filling Ingredients:
- 2 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, sliced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1.25 cups chicken bone broth, preferably homemade
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tube tomato paste (~5 oz)
- 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 12 oz bag frozen green peas
- Paprika for topping, optional
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 385 degrees F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. If you’re using leaner ground beef, add a little bit of fat to the pan (i.e. butter, coconut oil, etc.). If you’re using fattier meat (like 85/15 or 80/20), you won’t need any additional fat in the pan, but may want to drain off a little bit of the fat after browning the meat, otherwise the filling can be too runny/greasy. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the chunks of meat.
- Next, add the carrots, dried thyme, cayenne, sea salt and black pepper. Stir well and cook for 1-2 minutes. Then, add the broth, vinegar and tomato paste, and stir well again. Once mixed together, add the arrowroot starch and stir until dissolved. Finally, add the green peas and let cook for another minute.
- Pour filling evenly into a 9×13 pan. Top evenly with the cauliflower-potato mixture and sprinkle with paprika, if using. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.
- After baking, cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and then serve.
Yields: 6 servings
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