This garbage-can approach to shepherd’s pie makes use of odds and ends languishing in the produce drawer. We used carrots, celery, diced green beans, tomato ends, field peas, bell peppers, garlic and onions. An early fall version features sweet potato, green beans, onions, sweet peppers, turnip greens, and summer squash.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef 4 cups chopped veggies, including 1 large onion (diced) ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 – 2 teaspoons curry powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon all purpose flour 1 – 2 cups liquid (water or beef broth) Topping: 1 ½ – 2 lbs white potatoes 3 tablespoons butter ½ cup milk ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ¼ cup grated parmesan
Preparation:
Peel potatoes, cut into 2” cubes, and boil with water in saucepan for 20 min, until fork-tender.
Sautee ground beef in a large skillet on medium high heat. Break up the meat into chunks as it cooks. While the meat is cooking, chop the veggies. Ideas for additions from this week + recent boxes:
- Sweet Potato: peel and cut into ½” dice
- Onions: peel and dice.
- Peppers: core, remove seeds and ribs and cut into 1” strips.
- Summer Squash: Cut into quarters lengthwise and slice into ¼” pieces.
- Green Beans: Cut into pea-sized pieces.
- Turnip Greens: de-stem and slice into shreds.
The total volume doesn’t need to be exact; about 4 – 6 cups is ideal. The shredded greens will pump up the volume; keep in mind that they’ll cook down to nothing.
Add onions, sweet potatoes, peppers and summer squash to the skillet when the meat is almost completely cooked. Toss with the meat and cook 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent and sweet potato chunks tender.
Reduce heat to medium. Mix in garlic, curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper and tomato paste until well-incorporated. Toss in the more tender vegetables (green beans & shredded greens).
Add olive oil to the skillet; sprinkle flour on top and mix to coat meat and veggies. Add 1 cup of the liquid to the skillet; mix with ingredients to make a gravy, scraping up any yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring mixture to a simmer. Add more liquid ½ cup at a time to reach your ideal consistency. Transfer meat mixture to a casserole pan.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
TOPPING
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and return the hot potato cubes to the now mostly dry pan. Add butter; after it melts add the milk. Mash the potatoes to your desired consistency; add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the shredded cheddar.
Transfer the mashed potatoes by large spoonful to the casserole that contains the meat mixture. Carefully spread the potatoes into an even layer over the meat. Sprinkle parmesan on top of the potatoes. Cook for 30 minutes in the oven, until the beef mixture is bubbling and the top is a bit browned.