Sweet potato shepherd’s pie recipe

Our sweet potato shepherd’s pie looks as exciting as it tastes, with its vibrant orange topping.

A traditional shepherd's pie is, of course, topped with mash, but for something a little different this is topped with a mix of potato and sweet potato. It's just as easy to make as the classic kind - taking about 30 minutes to prep and then baking in the oven for an hour and a half. This recipe serves 8 and it's one of those that tastes even better the second night, so if you're a family of four, keep the leftovers for an easy dinner tomorrow. Serve with some bright green broccoli - the florets pick up the flavour of the sauce really well. 

Ingredients

• 1kg sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 750g Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 500g lamb mince
• 1⁄2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• A few sprigs of thyme
• 350ml white wine
• 500ml lamb stock
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cans chopped tomatoes
• 150g frozen peas
• 4 tbsp milk
• 100g butter

Method

1. Bring a saucepan of water to boil and cook the potatoes until soft enough to mash. Drain and mash.
2. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, dry-fry the lamb. Once cooked, remove from the pan and remove any excess fat.
3. In the same saucepan, heat the oil and add the onions, celery, carrots and thyme (no need to pick the leaves – you can remove the stalks later). Cook for 10 mins or until softened. Return the lamb to the pan along with the wine and cook for 2 mins.
4. Put the lamb stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, bay leaves and tomatoes into the pan and simmer for 30-40 mins, or until the sauce has thickened. Mix through the peas and pour into the pie dish.
5. Heat the milk and butter until melted and mix through the mashed potato. Spoon the potato on top of the lamb mixture, make a pretty shape with a fork and bake in the oven for 25-30 mins until the potato starts to brown nicely.

Top tip for making sweet potato shepherd’s pie

Use Quorn mince for an easy, vegetarian alternative.

Are sweet potatoes healthier than regular potatoes?

Sweet potatoes thought of as being healthier than regular white ones but actually, they're both good for you in different ways. They have similar calorie and carbohydrate content but sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A, and white ones are a great source of potassium. 

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