A Healthy Twist on Shepherd's Pie

One of my roommates made the most outstanding Shepherd's Pie this week and I can't wait to share the recipe.  Not only did it taste AMAZING, but it is incredibly healthy as well.  Maybe not the easiest thing to make, but if you have some time I highly recommend giving this a shot!  Props to my roommate who essentially winged this dish -- it wasn't until after she made it that she went back and jotted down the recipe.  Impressive!

First, you will need to buy ...

For the filling:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 cup each: diced carrot, onion, celery, parsnip
• 1 pint sliced button mushrooms
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1.5 T minced fresh rosemary
• 1.5 T minced fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• salt & pepper to taste
• red pepper flake to taste

For the mash:

• 4 small to medium sized sweet potatoes
• 1/2 T minced fresh rosemary
• 1/2 T minced fresh thyme
• salt & pepper

Then, you will need to ...

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  
2. In a large saucepan, bring about 6-8 cups of water to boil.  While waiting for the water to boil, peel and cut sweet potatoes into large cubes.  Once water is boiling, add cubed potatoes and cook until soft.
3. While potatoes are boiling, prepare your filling.  Begin by browning ground beef in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.  While meat is still raw, add onion, rosemary and thyme to flavor.  Cook meat completely.  Remove from skillet and set aside. 
4. Using the same skillet, add a small amount of olive oil to coat the pan.  Add carrots, celery and parsnips.  Once vegetables are cooked just about halfway, add the tomatoes and chicken stock.  Simmer over heat for about 5 minutes.
5. Return cooked beef to the mixture and fold in the sliced mushrooms.  Add the tomato paste, salt & pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes as desired.  Simmer the mixture for another 5-10 minutes until vegetables are firm, yet still edible (they should be somewhat tender).
6. While the filling simmers, drain the cooked sweet potatoes and begin to prepare the mash.  Using a hand masher, gently mash the cubed potatoes.  Add rosemary, thyme and salt & pepper.  Mix well.
7. Lightly grease a large pie or casserole dish.  Add the filling and spread evenly across the dish.  Note: depending on the size of your pie dish, there may be some filling left over.  Rather than overfilling the pie dish, save the remaining filling for leftovers.  Spread potato mash over top of the filing, again evenly coating it across the dish.  
8. Once pie is assembled, bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until potato mash begins to brown.  Remove pie from oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!