Turkey Shepard’s Pie

With kosher ground turkey readily available at our local Sudbury Farms, I took some time researching recipes other than turkey burgers. This recipe was one of those finds. Keep in mind that while it may be a bit of a pain up front due to the fact that you must boil and mash the sweet potatoes, the turkey prep and pie assembly are easy. Note that I made a lot of quantity adjustments to the recipe below, and it tends to feed 4 to 6. It does not reheat super well – with turkey oil congregating at the bottom – but it is generally acceptable for a second, very easy, leftover evening.

I have tried boiling/mashing the sweet potatoes in advance so all I need to do night of is cook the turkey and onions then assemble. This works well, outside of the refrigerated sweet potatoes, which end up cold and require baking the casserole for a while longer just to get it to temperature. If you want to do this, I recommend microwaving the sweet potatoes before spreading them over the top.

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ chucks
• 1/3 cup real maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sage
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 teaspoon water
• 1 cup frozen peas (I sometimes use more like 1.5 cups)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation

1. Boil the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes. Mash with maple syrup and salt.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the turkey in one piece and allow to caramelize. Flip the turkey and caramelize the other side. Break up the turkey and continue to saute until it is no longer pink in the center, about 3 minutes longer. Set aside.
3. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the same pan and sauce the onions and garlic, about 6 minutes.
4. Add oregano and sage.
5. Return the turkey to the pan and mix with the onions. Add the stock and dissolved cornstarch. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened.
6. Add the peas and cook for 3 more minutes. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and spread the sweet potato layer over the turkey. Sprinkle the top with brown sugar.
7. Preheat oven to a broil and place baking dish 3 to 4 inches from the heating element. Broil 5 minutes or until brown sugar caramelizes. Serve hot.

based on a recipe by Susie Fishbein