Smoky Shepherds Style Pie With an Awesome Sweet Potato, Pumpkin & Spicy Peach Topping

Smoky Shepherds Style Pie

With an Awesome Sweet Potato, Pumpkin & Spicy Peach Topping

Photography By Ctrlaltdelete Design Solutions

You know when you get to a point where you get bored of having the same old meal time and time again and you end up trawling the net and every recipe book known to man-kind for some inspiration, but still nothing takes your fancy? I feel your pain-I did just that! But then it dawned on me, Shepherds Pie, OF COURSE! I’ll admit that this is a dish I used to despise, until I recreated my own version.

Comforting; hearty; warm; sweet; aromatic. Now-I’m a huge lover of aromatic flavours; Beans, Pulses and of course; the humble Sweet Potato, so naturally I had to create something that included all of these ingredients and more! So here it is, my Smoky Sheppard’s Style Pie with an Awesome Sweet Potato & Spicy Peach Chutney.

What Will I Need?

1 x Medium Cooking Pan

1 x large colander

Non-Stick Skillet OR Frying Pan)

Safety Peeler

Sharp vegetable knife

1 x Large Cooking Pan

Wooden Spoon

Measuring spoons

Serving Spoon

Spatula

1 x Large heavy Casserole dish

Pastry Brush

Fork

Ingredients

For the Topping

1 Very large Sweet Potato roughly chopped

½ Very small Pumpkin OR Squash roughly chopped

2 tbsp. Spicy Peach Chutney (Find this at Waitrose £1.59-AMAZING stuff!)

1 tbsp. Dried Basil

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

½ tsp. Mixed Spice

Pinch Himalayan Rock Salt OR Sea Salt

For the Filling

4 Meat-free, Dairy Free Sausages (Linda McCartney OR Tofurky are best)

Olive Oil

1 Large Red Onion

2 Medium Shallots

2 Large Carrots chopped into thick 1.5cm chunks

½ Large Courguette Chopped as above

1/3 Aubergine chopped as above

5 Chestnut Mushrooms roughly chopped (optional)

2 Cloves crushed Garlic

1 ½ tsp. Smoked Paprika

1 tsp Dried Basil

1 tsp. Dried Oregano

1 tbsp Tomato paste

1 x 400g Tin Chopped Plum Tomatoes

½ Tin Good quality Baked Beans (I like to use Branston OR Biona)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Preheat your oven to 170 degrees C

For the Topping

1. Place your Sweet Potato and pumpkin/Squash, cover with fresh cold water; and then bring to the boil tuning down to a medium heat then cover and cook for 10 minutes OR until cooked through. Drain for a few minutes, then mash.
2. Add 1 tbsp. of the Spicy Peach Chutney along with all your dry ingredients, then mix well and set aside to cool.

 To Make the Filling

1. Heat your skillet OR frying pan over a high heat for a minute OR two, then brown off the sausages (I like mine to be blackened as this gives the most delicious BBQ flavour!), turning frequently until all the outsides are really golden; then turn off the heat and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, add a good glug of Olive oil to a large cooking pan and on a medium heat, sweat off the onions and Shallots until they look transparent (turn occasionally to prevent them from burning).
3. Add all your chopped fresh vegetables and cook for 10 minutes until starting to soften; then add your minced garlic, herbs and spices and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning.
4. Add your tinned Tomatoes, Tomato Paste and Baked Beans along with a tin of fresh cold Water. Bring to the boil before bringing down to a simmer; season with Salt and Black Pepper to taste. Let cook for about 30 minutes OR until your Vegetables are tender.
5. Next, roughly chop up your Sausages and fold these into the vegetable filling until well combined, then scrape into a large casserole dish and let cool a little- about 15-20 minutes.

 The Last Hurdle

1. With a serving spoon, scoop up the topping mixture and randomly place over the filling, then spread as evenly as you can. Place on the middle shelf of the hot oven and let bake for about 40 minutes OR until the filling starts to bubble over the top and the topping is turning golden.
2. Remove your pie from the oven, then take a spoonful more of the Spicy Peach Chutney and spread evenly with a pastry brush over the topping.
3. Lastly, take a fork and starting from the centre, create a swirl pattern, then place back in the oven for a further 15-20 minutes until the topping has caramelised and is glowing bright orange (alternatively you can pop under the grill until golden and caramelised-seriously, it’s a visual masterpiece!
4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly for about 15 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

 Serving suggestions

It’s a no-brainer really; fresh greens such as Kale, Spinach, Broccoli OR Swiss Chard & seasoned mashed sweed with lashings of veggie gravy.

I have even made this in the summer and served with a fresh mixed salad.

However you like yours, this really is the most delicious meal and I hope you will agree too.

You could even have this as an alternative to a Christmas dinner!