Turkey and Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

So the dieting isn't going so well.  Remember my simple calorie counting strategy?  Apparently it would actually help if I was actually counting (and logging) my calories.  Like everyday.  Turns out estimating calories in my head is probably not very accurate.  Since October 1st I've lost 3 pounds and gained back 2.  Not quite the results I hoped for.  Time to refocus. 

I'll be getting some healthy inspiration from my best friend Crystal's new blog, Both Halves.  Crystal and I go way back.  We have been BFF's since our sophomore year in high school.  Back in the day we both used massive quantities of hairspray and may have been known to coordinate outfits on occasion.  Though we've pretty much abandoned hairspray and no longer wear matching outfits, we do have a common love of food, and more specifically, baking.

Crystal has been baking and blogging with me for the past year and half with Club:Baked.  She recently gave her blog a complete makeover and really focused her point of view.  Both Halves is about embracing and balancing a love of traditional desserts with a love of healthy clean eating.  The mast head on her blog says it all...3 beautifully stacked blocks of butter on the left and a bundle of fresh mint on the right.  She's posting raw (vegan) desserts that definitely intrigue me (an area I have a lot to learn in).  Like this totally unbaked Raspberry Ganache Fudge Cake.  Hello chocolate.  Desserts aren't the only thing on the blog menu.  I also have my eye on this healthy Italian Rabe recipe and I'm looking forward to more inspiration from my girl! 

Believe it or not today's recipe is pretty healthy, despite the fact it comes from Paula Deen (no offense Paula).  It's a Thanksgiving take on Shepherd's Pie.  The bottom layer is ground turkey, carrots, parsnips, celery and onion surrounded by a sauce of chicken stock, tomato paste and a bit of flour to thicken it.  The top is a light fluffy sweet potato mash.  It's a nice pre-cursor for the flavors to come in just a week and half when Thanksgiving arrives.  Which I can't wait for by the way.

This dish can be made ahead and baked when you are ready to eat.  It serves 8 so there are plenty for leftovers for us.

Enjoy!

Turkey and Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
adapted from Paula Deen

Serves 8

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (1-1 1/2 inches)
Salt
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped thyme
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped rosemary
1 pound of ground turkey (Paula uses 2 lbs)
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons of flour
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
4 ounces of softened cream cheese
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 10 ounce bag of frozen peas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Place cut sweet potatoes in a medium sauce pan and cover with cold water and add salt to taste.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil.  Add carrots, celery, parsnips and onions and cook for about 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add ground turkey and cook until lightly browned and cooked through.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, flour and chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Add frozen peas and stir.

Meanwhile, drain the water from the potatoes and add to a large bowl.  Add in cream cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and use a hand mixer to turn the sweet potatoes into a mash.  Add some of the hot potato mixture into the eggs, to temper the eggs so the hot mixture doesn't scramble them.  Season with salt and pepper.

Place meat mixture in the bottom of your prepared baking dish.  Evenly spread sweet potatoes over the meat mixture.  Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes or until shepherds pie is bubbling and top is lightly golden.

Sweet Melissa Sundays: Sweet Potato Bread with Cinnamon Rum Orange Glaze

I am a big fan of quick breads....pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, banana bread so I was excited to see the the Sweet Melissa Sunday recipe pick for Sweet Potato Bread with Cinnamon-Rum-Orange Glaze from Lorelei of Mermaid Sweets. Check out her site to see her gorgeous bread and the recipe.

I wanted to half the recipe so I decided to make my sweet potato bread in a loaf pan rather than a bundt pan. Plus I don't own a bundt pan so my options were limited. Besides Hubby is more likely to eat it if it doesn't look like a cake. He is not big on sweets so I generally have to take on the great burden of eating these treats myself and sharing them with co-workers, family and friends. Its tough, but I think I can handle it! But Hubby loves sweet potato so he gave this one a go. The verdict? Moist and sweet, but he prefers pumpkin bread. And I have to agree.




The bread baked in my stoneware loaf pan at 350 for about 45-50 minutes. I omitted the nuts and added a teaspoon of vanilla. It was super moist and quite tasty. But to me it lacked a little something...I'm not sure what. I see why the glaze is an important part of this recipe. It definitely takes it up a level.

Let's talk about the glaze. Orange juice, rum, sugar and cinnamon sticks reduce down into sweet and sticky glaze to brush on top of the warm bread. I think I may have reduced mine down a little too much because it was quite thick. But once the glaze dries the stickiness soaks into the bread leaving a shiny sugar coating that is dry to the touch. I debated on using rum...I don't have a lot of experience baking or cooking with liquor so I wasn't sure how I would like it. It turned out great! The rum cooks down and adds a level of complexity to the glaze that you can't get from juice alone. Tucking the glaze recipe away for future use. :)





To me the test of a good recipe is the answer to this question. Would I make it again? Yes, but. There's always a but right? I would try it with half white sugar and half brown sugar. Also I think some chocolate chips might do the trick (I love chocolate chips in pumpkin bread and banana bread). And I would use pumpkin instead of sweet potato. Ok, who am I kidding? I probably won't make this again. I'll just stick with my faithful pumpkin bread recipe. But I still enjoyed making it and eating it! See what other SMS Bakers did.