Shepherd's Pie

I really wish I could say I made this extravagant Irish meal, and then had some amazing dessert made with Guinness for St Patrick's Day.  Unfortunately I made this about a week ago, and didn't have time for Guinness desserts.  I failed in the holiday cooking category for this month, but I promise I'll try and plan things out more in the future.  It just so happened I made this, and it's Irish, kind of.  It's the low fat or gluten free edition of Shepherd's pie, although I opted for low fat.  I have a friend (Bash) that loves Shepherd's pie, every time I see it on a menu or a recipe for it, I think of her.  When I saw this and saw that it was actually good for you, I thought I would try it out. 

  Start by cooking your potatoes, because they'll take the longest.  Peel and slice 3 cups of potatoes.  Boil in a pot with salted water until tender, around 25 minutes.

When cooked, mash with a potato masher.  Add a splash of milk and season with sea salt, and I added some pepper too.  Mash until smooth and creamy, adding more milk if needed.  Set aside and start on the filling. 

You'll need a 14oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered.

Broccoli florets, chopped up as well.

Slice one cup of carrots.

Slice one cup of zucchini, and slice them in half moons.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and stir in garlic.  Then add carrots, zucchini and broccoli.  Stir and cook until lightly tender, around 10 minutes.

You'll be adding herbs to the veggie mixture.  I chopped up parsley, and added sage, rosemary, basil, sage and some cracked pepper.

Add artichoke hearts, diced chicken and herbs.  Normally Shepherd's pie is made with beef, but I liked the chicken with it, made it lighter.  If you want the dish without the chicken, it would be tasty then too!  Set aside while you make the gravy.

Heat olive in a pot over medium-low heat and stir in flour to make a paste.  Slowly add warm milk and continue to stir.  Add the butter, bouillon, and sea salt.  When it begins to thicken, remove from heat.

 

Pour the gravy over the filling mixture and mix until the veggies are coated with gravy. 

Spoon the filling into ramekins.  If you don't have ramekins, you can use any type of baking or pie dish.  Top with a big spoonful of mashed potatoes and sprinkle with cheese if you like.  Place ramekins on a baking sheet, or pan filled 1/4 full with water.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.  Tent the dish with foil for the first 15 minutes, to make sure that potatoes don't dry out.  Should serve around four people.  I attempted to cut the recipe in half, and it made around three servings, two mini-ramekins each.

The potatoes will be a little golden brown on top, that's when you know they're done.  Make sure you let them cool off a bit before eating, they'll be very hot.  The herbs and sauce really tie everything together, and they were delicious.  It kind of reminded me of chicken pot pie with more flavor.  Although not your typical Shepherd's pie I really enjoyed this dish, and the fact that it's healthy for you made it even better! 

Mashed Potatoes
3 cups peeled, diced gold potatoes
sea salt
coconut milk *used skim milk
 Boil the potatoes in a pot until tender, around 25 minutes.
Drain well.
Mash with a potatoes masher.
Add splash of milk and season with sea salt to taste.
Stir until smooth and creamy, adding more milk if needed.


Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup zucchini, sliced in half moons
1 cup chopped broccoli florets
1 14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 cup cubed chicken
2 tablespoons Italian herbs *thyme, oregano, basil, parsley
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoons rosemary, minced
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and stir in garlic.
Add carrots, zucchini, and broccoli.
Stir and cook lightly until tender, around 10 minutes.
Add in artichoke hearts, diced cooked chicken, and herbs.
Season with salt and ground pepper, and set aside.

Gravy
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice flour *used regular flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons bouillon
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat and stir in flour to make paste.
Cook for another minute.
Slowly add the warm milk and keep stirring.
Add the butter, bouillon and sea salt.
When it begins to thicken remove from heat.
Pour the gravy over the filling mixture and gently mix until the veggies are coated with gravy.
Spoon the filling into ramekins.
Top with a big spoonful of mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle with shredded cheese, if you like.
Place on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes.
Tent with foil for the first half of baking so the mashed potatoes don't dry out.
Enjoy!