Shepherd's Pie with a Twist

When we were little and time was a pressing, our Mama would make us Shepherd's Pie. It was one of our favourite dinners, and we loved dosing it with Heinz ketchup of course. : ) After all we are partly French Canadian-which means that we did have our grandmama calling this 'pate chinoise' or translating as Chinese pate, which makes absolutely no sense, as Shepherd's Pie or Cottage Pie is European..perhaps our French ancestors were a bit geographically mixed up? Whatever the case our Mama has been making this dish for years, and this past weekend decided to make a fresh spin on it for a birthday party. We were going to a potluck and needed a dish to bring that was easy, could be made ahead, and also crowd pleasing : )

So Friday night she came up with...

Shepherd's Pie with a Twist


2 lbs. of ground organic lean meat
6-8 russet potatoes peeled and cut in pieces
4-5 sweet potatoes peeled and cut in pieces
2 cups of frozen organic corn
2 cloves of minced garlic
3 cups of organic beef stock
6 TBSP of margarine or butter
1/2 cup of spelt flour
1TBSP of maple syrup
soya milk or milk
salt and pepper
spray oil for pan

In large pot add potatoes and cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer until tender.

In another large pot add sweet potatoes and cover with water, bring to a boil until tender.

In a large pan sauté ground meat until fully cooked adding garlic half way. Drain extra fat.

In a small pot add stock and bring to a simmer, melt 3TBSP of margarine or butter and make a roux to thicken your stock making a gravy. Set aside.

Once potatoes are cooked drain and add salt, 1-2 TBSP of margarine or butter, and desired milk, mash, and set aside. Do the same for the sweet potatoes adding maple syrup, margarine, salt, and milk. Mash and set aside.

In a 9 inch by 13inch casserole dish add meat, then spread corn, add your gravy, layer sweet potatoes, then add your potatoes. Smooth out the top and run a fork to give it a ripple effect. Heat at 350 for 35-40 minutes and serve with a salad.


























Enjoy!