Feeding Friendship: Irish Food - Sheppard's Pie

It's almost St. Patty's Day, so this round of Feeding Friendship features Irish dishes! :)

I chose to make Shepherd's Pie. I had some in New York when we were there last year at an Irish Pub. It was delicious! Mine turned out a bit different, but still very tasty!

Sidenote: I accidentally had 2 recipes for Shepherd's Pie open on my computer and there was a bit of confusion both when making my shopping list and when getting started. There was a near-meltdown and we ended up with an extra can of fire-roasted tomatoes, but worse things have happened.

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients:

 2  large potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (I didn't peel mine, but you could)

1/4 cup nonfat sour cream

1  tablespoon reduced-calorie margarine

1/8 teaspoon table salt

2  teaspoons olive oil

1  cup onion (chopped)

2  medium carrots (diced)

2  medium celery ribs, diced

1  lb uncooked ground turkey breast (or morningstar farms recipe crumbles)

3  tablespoons all-purpose flour

1  tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped or 1  teaspoon dried rosemary

1  teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2  cups canned chicken broth or 2  cups beef broth (or vegetable for vegan)

Please ignore the Balsamic Vinegar. That was leftover from the aforementioned confusion...

1.     Preheat oven to 400ºF.  

2.    Place potatoes in a large saucepan and pour in enough water to cover potatoes. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender.

3.    Drain potatoes, transfer to a large bowl and add sour cream and margarine; mash until smooth, season to taste with salt and set aside.

The paddle attachment on the stand mixer makes mashed potatoes EASY!

4.    Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

5.     Add onion, carrots and celery; cook until soft, about 3 minutes.

6.    Add turkey and cook until browned, breaking up the meat as it cooks, about 5 minutes.

7.    Add flour, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper; stir to coat.

8.    Add broth and bring to a simmer; simmer until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.

9.    Transfer turkey mixture to a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate. Spread mashed potatoes over top and using the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls over the top.

10. Bake until potatoes are golden, about 30 minutes.

If I had to do it again, I'd add more potatoes and bake it for 10-15 min longer!

11. Slice into 6 pieces and serve.