Southwestern Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE SWEET POTATOES:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
¼ cup to ½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (more if you like it hotter)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE FILLING:
1 tablespoon oil or cooking fat of choice
2 pounds ground chicken or turkey
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cups frozen sliced peppers (fire-roasted is great or use fresh if you prefer)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
One 14-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe from "Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Food"

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Prepare the sweet potatoes. Fill a medium-size pot with a few inches of water, and place a steamer basket inside. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic to the basket, and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook the potatoes until they are soft, about 12 minutes.

3. Pour the potatoes and garlic into a large bowl, and add the coconut milk, some of the chicken stock, and the chipotles. Using a hand potato masher, an immersion blender or a hand mixer, mash the potatoes to the desired consistency, adding in more chicken stock as needed. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

4. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling by heating the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the ground meat and cook until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the meat to a large plate or bowl, reserving the oil in the pan.


5. Add the onions to the skillet in which the meat was cooked and sauté until softened. Add the peppers and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, chipotle powder, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper and then stir in the reserved meat. Stir well and cook the meat filling until just heated through.


6. Divide the meat filling among 8 ramekins (about 11⁄2- to 2-cup size) and top with the mashed sweet potatoes. Bake in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the shepherd’s pie is slightly bubbly.


 NOTES: If you are sensitive to the coconut flavor of coconut milk, feel free to decrease the amount of coconut milk used and increase the amount of chicken stock to your desired taste. Or, if you eat dairy, use some butter or heavy whipping cream in place of the coconut milk. If you have leftover chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes (194), feel free to use those.