Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Talk about one of the all-time favorite comfort foods! Shepherd's Pie is a one dish meal with meat and vegetables and a topping of mashed potatoes and cheese. Sometimes called Cottage Pie, this dish is a good way to use leftovers in another meal.
We revamped this classic dish by using chicken instead of beef and swapping out white potatoes for sweet potatoes. Then we added hominy, tomatillos and Mexican spices, for a South-of-the-Border-inspired creation. For the chicken, we opted to grill chicken breast that we seasoned with Manzanillo Mexican Seasoning, but if you have cooked chicken from last night's dinner in your fridge, use that instead. Pro tip: you may want to toss your cooked chicken with Manzanillo seasoning anyway before you add it to the pie, just because it tastes really, really good.
This is a little bit lighter and more playful than a traditional shepherd's pie, but doesn't lack for flavor or comfort. It will fill you up and warm you to your bones, and is still a great way to use up leftovers.
- 2 Chipotle Morita Chiles
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and cleaned
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon California Roasted Minced Garlic
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
- 2 teaspoons Ground Coriander
- 1 14 ounce can hominy (yellow or white), drained and rinsed
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
- 3/4 cup Dried Cilantro
- 2 cups leftover cooked chicken, cubed
- 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
- 1/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
- Heat oven broiler.
- Place Chipotle Morita Chiles in warm water to soften them. This should take about 10 minutes. Remove from water, remove seeds and stems and chop. Set aside.
- Cut tomatillos into halves and place on a baking sheet. Put them under the broiler until they start to soften and turn brown, approximately 10 minutes.
- Remove tomatillos from oven and allow to cool.
- Heat oven to 400°F.
- Cut cooled tomatillos into chunks. In a blender, combine broiled tomatillos and chopped Chipotle Morita Chiles. Blend into a puree.
- Heat oil to medium heat in a large saucepan. Saute onions for 3-5 minutes, just until they are soft. Then add California Roasted Minced Garlic, Ground Cumin, and Ground Coriander. Stir.
- Add Chipotle/tomatillo puree, hominy, chicken stock, Mexican Oregano and chicken to the saucepan.
- Cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove cover and add Dried Cilantro.
- Transfer to a large baking dish with deep sides and place on a baking sheet to catch spills.
- Carefully spread mashed potatoes evenly over the filling.
- Sprinkle cheese on top.
- Bake until the top is brown and crispy and filling is bubbling, 20-30 minutes.
- Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
