Moroccan-Style Shepherd's Pie (Vegeterian Option)

I fell in love with sweet potatoes about 10 years ago, before they were really big in mainstream cuisine (at least where I lived). I tried to shove them into so many recipes. This recipe is inspired by both my love for sweet potatoes and a recipe in Cuisine at Home Magazine for a Moroccan-style chicken dish that is full of warm spices, briny olives and a hint of lemon. I grew up eating hearty shepherds pie, usually made with elk or venison (beef was expensive and hard to come by in rural Montana). I wanted to make a shepherds pie with sweet potatoes and I thought the Moroccan flavors would lend themselves to the potatoes sweetness. I served it with a big dollop of plain yogurt and fresh lemon wedges. Big hit in my house! Even my 4 and 5 year olds gobbled up seconds of this one.

Yield: About 6-8 servings, depending on how hungry you are

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 medium sweet potatoes (actually, I used garnet yams), peeled and diced in 1 inch cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 portabella mushroom caps (or equivalent), diced in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 small or 1/2 medium onion, finely diced (or use 1/2 lb ground beef or lamb)
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1 rib celery, finely diced
• 3 (or 10) cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1 can (1 1/2 cups) garbanzo beans, drained
• 2 cups mushroom broth (or beef broth if using meat)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp paprika (smoked or sweet, whatever you prefer)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tsp each fresh cilantro and parsley
• lemon wedges
• plain yogurt to serve

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover sweet potatoes in cool water, bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Drain and add 1 tsp salt. Mash to desired consistency. Note: You can add more sweet potatoes or leave some out, depending on how thick you like the topping.

In a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium-high heat till it shimmers. Saute mushrooms onion, carrot, celery and garlic till soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more. Add lemon juice, broth, paprika, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger and salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer till liquid is reduced to about half. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp each cilantro and parsley. Transfer mixture to 8x8 square casserole dish. Spread mashed sweet potatoes on top. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the edges are bubbly. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and parsley. Enjoy!

More to come with Love!