Thursday- Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie

Adapted from Cooking Light

Chef’s Notes : Now that we’re getting to know each other, I bet you have noticed that I have a few favorites. Mainly anything made with cumin, Moroccan (which always includes cumin) or cumin. It’s my favorite spice. SmithCale and I were deciding the other day what our favorite spices are, and we decided that was too broad. So we picked a favorite spice and a favorite herb, when you have forever to be together you have to talk about something!

Just so you're not left hanging in suspense:

Blythe’s favorite spice (Cumin) and herb (Oregano)

SmithCale’s favorite spice (Chinese Five Spice, guess he couldn’t pick just ONE) and herb (Basil)

Plan of Attack:

1. Prep filling

2. Prep Sweet Potato top

3. Ramekin & Bake

Ingredients for 2:

½ Tbsp olive oil

½ lb lamb loin (or next time I plan on using lamb shoulder, so pick your poison)

½ tsp cumin

¼ tsp salt

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 C chicken broth

Handful of kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

¼ C raisins

1 Tbsp honey

¼ tsp ground red pepper

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp ground cinnamon, divided

½ C frozen peas

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 egg, lightly beaten

Cooking spray

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Sprinkle both sides of lamb evenly with cumin and salt
4. Add lamb to skillet and brown each side for 4 minutes, remove from skillet and cut meat off of bone and into chunks
5. While chopping meat, add onions into the same pan and sauce for 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds; add tomato paste sauté a final 30 seconds
6. Add broth and water to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom to remove the deliciousness that lies there
7. Return chunks lamb to the skillet along with ¼ tsp cumin, olive, raisins, honey, red pepper, turmeric and cinnamon
8. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes
9. While lamb mixture simmers, bring a small pot ½ filled with water to boil. Add chopped sweet potato and boil for 10 minutes or until done. Drain and allow to set for 5 minutes
10. In a stand mixer or by hand, mash the sweet potatoes. Add salt and cinnamon, stir well.
11. In a small bowl lightly beat the egg, and add about 3 spoonfuls (a spoonful at a time)of the mashed sweet potatoes, then add mixture in with the rest of the sweet potatoes and mix well. (Nobody wants an eggs to scramble in their sweet potatoes)
12. Once the lamb mixture has simmered for 30 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the peas
13. Spray your ramekins with cooking spray and add ½ of the lamb mixture in each ramekin.
14. Top with ½ of the sweet potato mixture in each
15. Bake for 25 minutes
16. Enjoy!

We also had trouble picking what to use: fork or spoon?!? We were classy and went with a spoon!

Food for Life,

the SupperSmiths, forging one meal at a time