Not-So-Traditional Shepard's Pie

Anyone who knows me knows I love to tweak recipes almost from the get go. I tweak things for lots of reasons: dietary restrictions, nutrition, and most importantly - taste! Here is a perfect example of this tendency. It was a recipe I adapted from Gluten Free Goddess. I was unsure how it would go over with the ever picky family troop (I only added yellow potatoes to the recipe b/c my husband and oldest are averse to sweet potatoes), but it was delicious! The texture and flavors marry perfectly...even though the ingredients by themselves don't draw me in, the sum of all the parts is really delicious.  Perfect for a cold winter's day!  Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the topping:
2 medium sweet potatoes (I like Garnet or Jewell varieties), peeled and diced
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
1-2 T Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/2 cup Daiya Cheese, or grated sharp cheddar if you can have it
Optional: 1 or 2 yellow or russet potatoes, peeled and diced

For the filling:
1 pounds ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 T rice flour (or any flour, this is just for thickening)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (or more taste)
3/4 cup beef broth (I used Better than Bouillon from Costco)
2 T ketchup (optional)
1 can cut green beans, or peas (could also use frozen)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Place the sweet potatoes in a pot of fresh salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until under fork tender and mashable. Remove and do the same with the yellow potatoes if you are using them.

Meanwhile...saute the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned; pour off the fat; return the skillet to the stove. Stir in rice flour. Stir in the ketchup, broth, herbs, and vinegar.   Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer to thicken.

Drain the cooked sweet potatoes and place in a food processor...this is a little trick to make the sweet potatoes have an extra creamy mouth-feel with out lots of fat...it gives you the feeling like you are having a really rich cheesy topping! Mix in cheese and Earth Balance spread  and process for a minute or two until silky smooth (or mash it all together by hand if you want to forgo this step). Season with sea salt, ground pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of any milk only if necessary to achieve desired texture. Mash the yellow  potatoes with a little buttery spread and milk.  Unlike sweet potatoes, you can not process these or you will have some very gummy mash on your hands!

Layer the beef and veggie mixture in a casserole or baking dish. Top with the mashed sweet potatoes, then the yellow (if using). Bake in the center of a preheated oven until bubbling and hot- about 25 minutes. Serves 4-6.

This recipe was shared on Monday Mania,  Pennywise Platter, Gluten Free Wednesdays,  Traditional Tuesdays,