Shepherd’s Pie

Since I was raised early on in Israel, I did not grow up on Shepherd’s pie. It originates from England and Ireland. Once I tasted it for the first time as an adult, I realized how much fun it could be in the kitchen. There are a million ways you can vary the recipe and spice it up. The key to a tasty Shepherd’s pie is layering of flavors. Check out this recipe and try mixing it up in your own kitchen!

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Shepherd's Pie

There are many ways to vary this recipe, such as whether you use frozen or fresh veggies and which blend. You can also use white potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. This recipe is generally auto-immune paleo protocol (AIP) friendly if you omit the paprika.

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 onion chopped
• 2+2 TBS olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4+3/4+1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2+1/4 tsp cracked pepper
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 2 pounds frozen mixed veggies avoid corn if following AIP protocol
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 tsp paprika avoid if following AIP protocol
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 2 TBS pickle juice optional
• 2 sweet potatoes large, peeled and rough chopped into large chunks

Servings Ingredients 1 onion chopped 2+2 TBS olive oil 1 pound ground beef 3/4+3/4+1/2 tsp sea salt 1/2+1/4 tsp cracked pepper 2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp whole cumin seeds 1 tsp celery seeds 2 pounds frozen mixed veggies avoid corn if following AIP protocol 1 quart chicken broth 1 tsp paprika avoid if following AIP protocol 1 TBS lemon juice 2 TBS pickle juice optional 2 sweet potatoes large, peeled and rough chopped into large chunks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Caramelize onion with 2 TBS olive oil on medium-low heat until soft and translucent.
3. Add beef, cumin seeds, celery seeds, 3/4 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp cracked pepper to pan with onions. Regularly stir mixture and break up meat into smaller chunks until fully cooked. Remove from heat and drain in small colander. Add meat to bottom layer of pie plate or baking dish.
4. Add frozen or fresh vegetables to small pot and cover with chicken broth. Cook on high until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and drain vegetables. Add 3/4 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp cracked pepper, lemon juice, pickle juice, and paprika to vegetables and mix well to incorporate. Add vegetables to baking dish as second layer.
5. Add sweet potatoes to pot and cover with water. Boil sweet potatoes in water until fork tender and 'shmushable'. Drain sweet potatoes and return to pot. Add 1/2 tsp sea salt and 2 TBS olive oil. Using potato masher, mash sweet potatoes until smooth consistency. Using spatula, spread mashed sweet potatoes on top of vegetables in baking dish. Make sure that sweet potatoes cover entire surface and seal top of other layers.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Cool slightly before enjoying.

Recipe Notes

This dish requires several dishes! If you go step-by-step, you can wash the veggie pot and reuse for the sweet potatoes-- or just clean as you go!