Truly a feast for the mouth, if not the eyes; this was a delicious meal that my entire family was happy to eat. Sweet potatoes, vegetables and meat have never before combined in such a fabulous one dish meal in my kitchen.
Seasoned with balsamic vinegar and Italian seasonings, all the flavors worked together even better than I had hoped. This meal is certain to be made repeatedly in the future.
Mouthwatering is not the word I typically use to describe a shepherd pie or a cottage pie. This is man food, right? I have never been a big fan of dishes featuring ground beef as a main component.
However, we recently switched to buying all-natural grass fed beef from a local ranch and I wanted to give the meat a chance to impress me. It did not let me down. I’m beyond impressed and can hardly wait to try a couple of different cuts next week.
Sweet Potato Topped Rancher’s Pie
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large sweet potatoes
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- ½ large yellow onion
- 3-4 large cloves of garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots about 3 medium diced into 1/2" pieces
- 14 ounces diced stewed tomatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped green chile this optional to added some depth to the flavor, but absolutely no heat at all
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper adjust to taste
- ½ cup frozen peas
- milk adjust as needed, I used about 2-3 tablespoons
Instructions
- Peel and dice sweet potatoes into 1" pieces. Place them in a pot and cover with water and a sprinkle of salt. Cook until fork tender, this should take less than 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes are cooking, cook and crumble the ground beef over medium heat. When it is almost browned, drain off any fat and add the onions, and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the minced garlic, parsley, thyme, basil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add the tomatoes, green chiles, and balsamic vinegar. Cook until the liquid is reduced if needed. Stir in the peas. Taste and then season with salt and pepper. Adjust as desired. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Drain the potatoes and mash gently with a potato masher. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper to taste. Add just a splash of milk and stir until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy.
- Layer the beef mixture into a baking dish and then top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. Enjoy!
Anthony says
DELICIOUS! So glad I have leftovers!