Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

I love to sneak in extra vegetables wherever possible in our family meals, in an attempt to be healthier and to help us exceed our five a day, so I add extra veg to my shepherds pie by stuffing the meat mix with extra carrots, peas and onions, and adding sweet potato to the traditional mash topping.

The weekly family schedule is tricky at the best of times, so it’s not surprising to learn that the average parent today has just 34 minutes free for preparing the evening meal.

However, the current peasant food trend captivating chefs and restaurants around the world is helping busy people recover a little time for themselves with easy to prep slow-cook, one-pot wonders, the perfect way to create delicious yet easy meals for the whole family. Easy one-pot meals have never gone out of fashion in our house, so I'm delighted to see them making a comeback!

Red Tractor Beef & Lamb has launched the #LivePeasant challenge to celebrate the peasant food trend, and inspire families to rediscover traditional cooking techniques from around the world that are simple, warming and hearty. Using inexpensive cuts of beef and lamb, which are perfect for slow-cooking, dishes can be prepared in advance so that delicious, melt-in-the-mouth home-cooked meals are ready and waiting when you are.

Though very simple to make, shepherds pie can be a little time consuming to cook from scratch so I'll often batch cook both the base and the topping for this recipe and freeze them in bags ready to thaw out and assemble on busy week nights, or if I have a little more space in the freezer, I'll make up a couple of pies and freeze them before cooking, for a delicious homemade ready meal!

Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 500g lamb mince
• 1 lamb stock cube*
• 1 tbs Worcesertshire sauce
• 100g frozen peas
• salt & pepper to taste

For the sweet potato mash:

• 500g potato
• 400g sweet potato
• Splash of milk**
• 2 tbs butter**

Method:

Chop the onions and peel and chop the carrots. In a large pan, heat the oil, then gently cook the onion, carrots and thyme for a few minutes until softened.

Once the vegetables are soft, add the lamb to the pan and brown all over, stirring as you go. If you'd like to make this recipe as healthy as possible, drain some of the fat off at this point before continuing with the recipe instructions.  Make up 500ml of stock and add to the pan with the Worcestershire sauce.

Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the lid, add the peas to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper.

Whilst the meat is cooking, preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4/350°F).  Prepare the mash: peel and chop the potato and sweet potato and cook in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain the potatoes well, then return to the pan and mash with the butter and milk.

To assemble the shepherds pie, spoon the mince mixture into an ovenproof dish then top with the mash and spread out to cover evenly. Make a ridged pattern with a fork and pop in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot with bubbling mince.

Mini  shepherd pies also work really well and are great for kids - mine always love having their very own pie! To make, follow the recipe as above and assemble the pies in mini casserole or pie dishes. I found these super cute mini casserole pots (which came with lids too) in our local poundland - what a bargain!

Notes:

*If you don't have a lamb stock cube, a beef stock cube would work just as well.

**I use dairy free alternatives for the milk and butter - soya or rice milk and Pure dairy free sunflower spread.

When choosing your meat – whether its beef or lamb –look out for a quality mark like the Red Tractor logo which guarantees the meat you are buying is farm assured.

Grace

Disclosure: This recipe and blog post was commissioned by Simply Beef and Lamb as part of their #LivePeasant campaign. I was compensated for my time, however all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato recipe - a healthier version of a favourite family meal.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Servings: 6 people

Author: Grace Hall

Ingredients

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 500 g lamb mince
• 1 lamb stock cube*
• 1 tbs Worcesertshire sauce
• 100 g frozen peas
• salt & pepper to taste
• For the sweet potato mash:
• 500 g potato
• 400 g sweet potato
• Splash of milk**
• 2 tbs butter**

Instructions

• Chop the onions and peel and chop the carrots. In a large pan, heat the oil, then gently cook the onion, carrots and thyme for a few minutes until softened.
• Once the vegetables are soft, add the lamb to the pan and brown all over, stirring as you go. If you'd like to make this recipe as healthy as possible, drain some of the fat off at this point before continuing with the recipe instructions.  Make up 500ml of stock and add to the pan with the Worcestershire sauce.
• Bring to a simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the lid, add the peas to the pan and cook for a further 20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper.
• Whilst the meat is cooking, preheat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4/350°F).  Prepare the mash: peel and chop the potato and sweet potato and cook in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain the potatoes well, then return to the pan and mash with the butter and milk.
• To assemble the shepherds pie, spoon the mince mixture into an ovenproof dish then top with the mash and spread out to cover evenly. Make a ridged pattern with a fork and pop in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot with bubbling mince.

Notes

NOTES: If you don't have a lamb stock cube, a beef stock cube would work just as well. I use dairy free alternatives for the milk and butter - soya or rice milk and Pure dairy free sunflower spread.

I hope you will want to try this delicious recipe, please pin it if you do! For more easy family friendly dinner ideas and recipes, check out the Family Friendly Meals section here on the Eats Amazing blog or pop over and follow the Eats Amazing recipes Pinterest board for fresh and seasonal inspiration all the year around!