Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie
sandravalvassori.com
This Indian-Spiced Shepherd's pie gives the traditional dish a shake with flavour-packed, warming Indian spices. Rich, satisfying, and comforting, I can't imagine a cozier dish for chilly evenings.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
For The Mashed Potatoes
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup hot milk (any milk but the more fat the better taste)
- 2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup full-fat yogurt at room temperature, if possible
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt or more or less to taste
- cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
For The Filling
- 1 tablespoon ghee, or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms optional
- 1 medium carrot finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes of any kind
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 sprigs fresh cilantro plus more chopped for garnish (optional)
- 2 cups frozen peas
For The Chhonk (optional)
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- pinch of red chili powder such as Kashmiri or cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Boil the Potatoes: Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add just enough cold water to cover them. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 to 18 minutes.
- While potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling: Place a large (10-12 inch) ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and add the ghee, or oil. Once ghee has melted, add the onion, mushrooms, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their liquid, or until onions are soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, ground cumin, turmeric, garam masala, salt, and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the ground turkey and use a flat wooden spoon or spatula to break it into small pieces. Cook until browned, about 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, salt, and cilantro sprigs, and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more spices and/or salt if needed. Stir in the frozen peas and turn off the heat.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
- Prepare the mashed potatoes: Drain potatoes; return to pot and place over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Heat milk with ghee (or butter) in small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted; set aside. Using a potato ricer, press potatoes into large bowl (or use a potato masher to mash the potatoes in the pot). Add milk mixture; stir to blend. Stir in yogurt and mix until smooth. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper, and garam masala and mix to incorporate. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Set mashed potatoes aside.
- Make chhonk (optional): Melt 2 tablespoon ghee in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and as soon as they start to brown (this will only take 1 minute or so) add a pinch of red chili powder. Set aside.
- Assemble the shepherd's pie: Spoon the potato mash over meat mixture. Use a fork or a spoon to evenly spread the potatoes across the top, making a few deep ridges as you go along. If using the chhonk, use a spoon to drizzle the mixture over the top of mash.
- Bake: Transfer skillet to oven and bake until warmed through and golden on top, about 25 to 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving, if desired.
Notes
Chhonk recipe from Priya Krishna.
Cook's tips:
- To dirty one less dish, cook the filling in a large oven-proof skillet, then top with the potato mash before baking. If you prefer to bake the shepherd's pie in a casserole dish, simply transfer the filling to a 9x13 baking dish, or similar. Then top with potato mash.
- If making this dish in advance, I recommend you assemble it in a baking dish (as opposed to in the skillet) so it is easier to store in the fridge.