One Skillet Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

Okay, here goes nothing- first official blog post for Amy Wamy’s FNF (FoodsNFitness)!!

 So, I always check out all of these recipes on people’s blogs, and I totally hit the “jump to recipe” button pretty much every time!  Although, I will say I have learned that if you read through all of the jibberish, there are usually some pretty good recipe tips that you don’t actually get in the recipe section… so I have learned to skim for important tips and skip reading about what so and so ate for breakfast!  Long way of saying, please feel free to skip to the recipe, as I’m simply rambling and will continue to do so! 

First recipe up- this super simple Skillet Paleo Shepherd’s Pie!  This is a one skillet (as in I only cooked in one skillet- I did manage to dirty a few other dishes) recipe and great if your in the mood for some comfort food on a cold day!  Okay, so things I loved about this recipe- one skillet, small amount of total time in the kitchen, and great for meal prep leftovers!  We had this one night for dinner and then I packed up 4 or 5 lunches to take to work with me… two birds, one stone!  While technically the sweet potatoes take a little bit longer to cook, I threw them in the oven and went back to whatever I was doing, and then dealt with them later… so it wasn’t active time in the kitchen.  I timed this one—20 minutes prep time! Not too shabby. 

So, here are my coveted tips…

*cook the sweet potatoes ahead of time so you don’t have to wait around while they cook or while they cool.  Also, trust me, leaving them in the oven for that 20 minutes or so after you turn it off makes the difference, so try not to skip it. 

*get out that food processor!  I was feeling super lazy when I made this dish!  Meaning, instead of chopping anything (except for the celery because that’s super easy to chop) I used my food processor to chop everything!  Cut the onion up in to quarters or so and then place in processor- pulse gently—DON’T get carried away here or you’ll have onion soup—until just chopped.  Next put the carrots in and do the same thing—gently pulse until just chopped.  I assume it goes without saying, don’t put the onion and carrots in the processor at the same time! 

* last tip- if you want a crispy browned top to the potatoes, try to broil it on high for the last 5 minutes.  Also, I should note, this didn’t work for mine….but theoretically it should!

That sums it up!  Try it out, let me know how it goes!

Thanks for stopping by!

One Skillet Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes

2 cups chopped carrots

2 cups chopped celery

1 chopped yellow onion

2 TBS olive oil

1 lb ground beef

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

1 cup chicken stock

Instructions:

1) Wash sweet potatoes and poke holes all over with fork or knife. Turn oven to 425– no need to preheat– and place sweet potatoes directly on rack.  Bake for 45 minutes, turn oven off and let sit in the oven for 20-30 minutes (door closed) 

2) Heat olive oil in large cast iron skillet. Add onion and saute for 10 minutes or until soft.

3) Add carrots and celery to skillet for 10 minutes or until slightly softened.

4) Add beef and cook until browned. Add salt, pepper and paprika to skillet and mix well.

5) Add chicken broth to skillet and cook down until about half of the liquid evaporates.

6) Your sweet potatoes should be cool enough to work with by now– or you can do this entire step prior to making everything else– peel and mash them taters! ** I use my food processor to make a super smooth and creamy mashed sweet potato.  Simply peel and put in food processor.  If you don’t have a food processor, peel potatoes, place in large bowl and use either a masher or fork to mash the potatoes.  

7) Once your skillet is cooked down to about half the liquid, turn heat off and layer sweet potatoes into a smooth layer on top of beef mixture. 

8) Place skillet in oven at 350 for 30min.  Serve hot and enjoy!