This is traditionally made with ground lamb, but the American in me twists this classic meat-and-potatoes dish into turkey with sweet potatoes…I think of it as a warmup for Thanksgiving. One of the biggest mistakes people can make with potato purées is simply not cooking them long enough in the first place. Cook your potatoes until COMPLETELY tender. I only add a little milk here to thin out the consistency of the sweet potatoes. I find that adding too much cream and milk is unnecessarily heavy in a hearty enough dish, and it dilutes the pure sweet potato flavor.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 pounds medium sweet potatoes
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup whole milk, heated
- A few light grates orange zest
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground dark meat turkey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large red onion, diced small
- 1 large carrot, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, peeled and diced small
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Bake the sweet potatoes: Place the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the potatoes completely yield when pierced with the tip of a knife, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- For the meat: In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until smoking lightly. Add the ground turkey in small pieces and cook until browned and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the meat with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add the onions, carrot and celery to the skillet, then season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are translucent and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour off any excess grease. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl with the meat. Stir in the peas, broth and vinegar. Taste for seasoning.
- Make the brown butter for the sweet potatoes: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter completely over medium heat. Wait until it starts to simmer and turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Dip a pastry brush in the butter and grease the bottom and sides of a 2-quart oval or rectangular baking dish; set aside. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, molasses, ginger and cinnamon. Set aside and keep warm.
- Make the purée: Let the roasted potatoes cool until still hot but cool enough to handle. Place them on a flat surface and cut them in half. Use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh. Discard the skins and put the flesh in a food processor. Pulse until the flesh starts to break down, then add the brown butter mixture, milk, orange zest and salt and pepper to taste. Alternatively, run the potatoes through a food mill into a large bowl, then add the brown butter, milk, orange zest and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
- Lower the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spoon all of the meat mixture into an even layer in the baking dish. Dollop the mashed sweet potatoes over the meat, then spread the potatoes into a layer.
- Place the dish on a baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake until the center is hot when poked with the tip of a knife and the top is browned, 30 to 35 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 338 |
| Total Fat | 15 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 37 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 59 mg |
| Sodium | 655 mg |
Reviews
TOO SWEET! Wow.. this was like turkey pudding.
x
Really good and comforting. Used thawed frozen veggies + fresh. Used store-bought mashed sweet potato. Needs a good amount of salt and pepper. Will make again.
I make traditional shepherds pie often so was nice changing it up with sweet potatoes & turkey. Loved this recipe, simple & very tasty!
This recipe inspired me to do my own Autumn twist on Shepherds Pie! Tonight I did one with ground beef and ground pork and used cubed butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes and made mashed cauliflower for the potatoes on top. Baked it in a cast iron and it was a huge hit. Seeing this recipe gave me the idea
There’s a lot to like in this recipe, but the sweet potatoes were too sweet for my pallet. (My friend loved them.) Next time, I’ll leave out the brown sugar and molasses. If you are someone who thinks sweet potatoes with marshmallows are a legit side and not a dessert, you will probably love it as-is.
So yummy and comforting. I didn’t have any molasses but substituted a good maple syrup and it was great. … and because of dairy free restrictions I used cashew milk with no problem
It was amazing!! I have shared with family and coworkers, so very good! thank you!!
I loved the taste of everything. I’m wondering if I missed something. The broth mixture on the meat in my opinion should have been thickened It was a soupy mess. If I make it again I will definitely thicken the broth
Excellent!! I made this for Halloween night and it’s the perfect combo of autumn flavors to kick off cozy season! Thank you @Alex G