Midweek Magic: Sweet Potato Cottage Pie
Even though we are just around the corner to spring (a little under a week when writing this), New England isn’t giving up on winter just yet it seems! On dreary, cold days like the ones we’ve had this week so far, I always pine for that cozy feeling of comfort foods. The aromas of my childhood favorites bringing nostalgia, along with the warmth from the oven heating through my kitchen and house, it all just brings me right to my happy place.
One of those childhood staples has to be shepherds or cottage pie. It doesn’t get much more homey than a rich meat and vegetable filling blanketed by creamy mashed potatoes. Growing up my mom would make this quite often and it was always a hit. We are however taking this classic idea and giving it a little SBH twist; opting to sub out the regular mashed potato topping for a creamy sweet potato mash takes this dish in a very different, but delicious direction. First things first though…
Shepherds Vs. Cottage Pie
If you’ve read the title of this post (which if you made it this far, I assume you have), you’ll see that I am calling this dish a “cottage pie” and some of you may be asking why.
Traditionally speaking, a shepherds pie is strictly made with only lamb meat. If you use any other meat (especially beef) in the same dish, it then becomes known as a cottage pie. I’m honestly not quite sure why this is, however I have seen many a menu or recipe call any ground meat and potato pie a shepherds pie. I suppose I can understand that this is a purposeful thing as to not cause confusion and questions, however since I am really changing up a lot of the markers of the classic recipe in this post, I am going to opt for the cottage pie designation here. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, let’s dive into some of the magical intentions behind our dish today.
Simple Magic For Complex Times
I think one of my favorite parts about a good old cottage pie is how accessible the ingredients are. Practically every one of them is something you probably already have in your fridge or pantry or is easily acquired from a quick grocery store run. Even if the ingredients are simple, the magical intentions locked within them are powerful and essential for coping with the complicated and often confusing times we find ourselves in currently. All in all, every ingredient we use combines to create a comforting and soul soothing dish that is perfect when you are feeling like your energy has been sapped by the hardships of life. Below, you can take a closer look at a few of the key ingredients that empower the intentions we are focusing on in this dish:
Sweet Potatoes: Very much the star of the show here, sweet potatoes are a wonderful vegetable to integrate into your magical kitchen when you are looking to gain more balance and stability into your daily life. Being a root vegetable, their earthy energy also represents a tenacity to keep growing and moving forward no matter what might try and get in your way. Sweet potatoes are packed with fiber, vitamins A and C, and potassium, which makes them an ideal addition to healing spellwork too.
Ground Chicken and Chicken Bone Broth: Besides being my own personal favorite go to meat, chicken holds energy in the kitchen for healing, domestic harmony, and drawing in good luck. Similarly, stocks and broths made from the bones and meat of the chicken are saturated with the same healing energies and will help soothe and nourish your body and soul during difficult times. I do highly recommend using bone broth when cooking with intention since it has a higher quality of ingredients in it; you can absolutely use a store bought variety or you can check out our blog post on how to make your own from scratch here: Helpful Techniques: Homemade Stocks.
Carrots: Decidedly unassuming, carrots are representative of how a simple ingredient can hold great power. Classically known for improving physical eyesight, they are also able to provide clarity to your mind’s eye. Carrots, like sweet potatoes, are a member of the root vegetable family and as such can fortify our inner selves with strength and endurance, which is invaluable during the harder times we might be faced with.
Celery: While often relegated to playing second fiddle to other vegetables or as a garnish/dressing scoop alongside a plate of wings, celery is actually quite the formidable magical ingredient. Since in my mind it combines both of the powerful elements of water and earth, using celery in your dishes can help you draw from these stable and restorative energies when you are finding yourself feeling depleted.
Smoked Paprika: I’ll be honest, for a long time I slept on just how amazing this spice is, however, paprika has now solidly found its way into my heart and my kitchen spellwork very often. Beautifully crimson red, the fiery energies of this spice comes in most handy when you are looking to smash down the walls of opposition and overcome hurdles you face.
The Recipe
Sweet Potato Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken (healing, luck drawing) *see note
- 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and chopped (clarity, inner strength)
- 1/4 lb celery (restorative energy)
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped (protection against negative energy)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (health and healing, warding against negativity)
- 1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes (balance, stability, love)
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken bone broth (vitality, healing)
- 2 Tbsp olive or avocado oil (self love, inner healing)
- 2 Tbsp half and half (nourishment of self)
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped finely (purification, positive thinking, calming)
- 3 Tbsp salted butter (abundance)
- 3 to 4 Tbsp all purpose or gluten free flour (perseverance, prosperity)
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika (overcoming obstacles or issues)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (healing/health)
- Salt, to taste (protection, purification)
- Black pepper, to taste (alleviate anxiety)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a deep oven safe dish or pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large pot, bring salted water to a rolling boil and add your cubed sweet potatoes. Boil until very tender, approximately 15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and place back into the pot with half and half, 1 tbsp butter, 2 tsp smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Mash until very smooth. Alternatively, you can whip the mixture on a stand mixer. Once smooth, set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium and add in your onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables are just softened and then add in your ground meat, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula or spoon as it browns.
- Once your meat is cooked through, season the mixture with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and remaining tsp of paprika and stir well to combine and bring the heat down to low.
- In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter with the flour. Once combined, add the paste to your meat and vegetable mixture and stir to coat.
- Pour the broth slowly into the pan. If the sauce becomes too thin, you can sprinkle more flour in to thicken it or if it is too thick, you can add in more broth.
- Once the mixture has reached your desired consistency, stir in the fresh rosemary and transfer to your prepared dish or pan; evenly distributing the mixture.
- Evenly spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the meat mixture and sprinkle with more smoked paprika.
- Place into your preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the potatoes have set slightly and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Remove and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve in a bowl with a garnish of fresh chopped parsley or rosemary for an extra pop of color and flavor. Enjoy!
Notes
- While we chose to use ground chicken, you can alternatively use ground turkey, beef, or the traditional lamb for this recipe. You can also opt to use a combination of several.
