Moroccan Shepherd's Pie (Vegan and Traditional Versions)

I think I've mentioned before how fantastic our local farmer's markets are. The one we go to is in Falls Church and always has great produce and several stands for fish, meat, cheese, bread, pickles, yarn, and even two soap/skin care stands. We've rarely gotten anything outside of produce but there's a Mennonite family who has a baked goods and meat stand that I knew stocked lamb and DH loves lamb. I've gotten whoopie pies from them before when I didn't want to bake a whole batch but had a craving. I was very pleased, tasted A LOT like home. They also have sticky buns, which are apparently a regional thing? Anyway, lamb, DH loves it, they had it, this seemed the perfect recipe to make that allows us each to have our dietary preferences.




This is not a quick evening meal. I assume it would freeze well (several portions are frozen for lunches now) so you could make it ahead. Really, I think of this as a Sunday dinner type meal. While it isn't really labor intensive, it just seems like it with all the ingredients.

Note: This Makes *a lot* of food. I divided it equally in half for the directions and each half lasted us a dinner and a number of lunches (I got 4-5 lunches out of my half plus dinner with a small side salad.) Next time, I'm making us each a quarter of the original recipe unless family is coming. If you want one batch, just combine the ingredients and follow Our Four Fork's directions (add the nuts if you want, I think with the meat the added meatiness and texture probably isn't necessary.)

Barely adapted from Our Four Fork's Moroccan Shepherd's Pie, mostly just how you approach it in prep.

You Need (to make the full recipe, divide in half and so forth for smaller portions, instructions are for half and half):
1 red onion, diced
1 white onion, diced
3/4-1 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 cup chickpeas (optional for meat version, I used cooked but I think just soaked would be fine with the long bake time but this has not been tested)
1.5-2 lbs sweet potato, cut into equal sized chunks (we used a mammoth potato that was closer to 4 because we had shallower dishes)
1/2-3/4 lbs ground lamb (meat version only)
2.5 T olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T ginger root, minced
2 t salt (I used mineral salt)
3 t cumin
1 t cinnamon
1 t chili powder
1 T garlic powder
28 oz tomato, diced (I used canned, fresh would work as well)
~2/3 vegetable broth
1/2 cup raisins
1/2-3/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional, suggested for vegan version)
3-4 T unsweetened, unflavored almond milk

For the Meat filling:

1. Brown the ½ lb ground lamb in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2. Remove meat from skillet and set aside.
3. Add ½ T olive oil to the pan along with the ½ the onion mix, 2 cloves garlic, ½ T minced ginger, ½ t salt, ½ t cumin, ½ t cinnamon, ½ t chili powder and cook for 8-10 minutes until the onion is softened.
4. Return the meat to the pan (if using) along with the 1.5 cup chopped tomatoes and 1/3 cup broth.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes more.
6. Add chickpeas (if using), ¼ cup raisins, and ¼ cup chopped parsley, stir and remove from heat.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste

For the Veggie Filling

1. Add ½ T olive oil to the pan along with ½ the onion mix, 1 clove garlic, ½ T minced ginger, ½ t salt, ½ t cumin, ½ t cinnamon, ½ t chili powder and cook for 8-10 minutes until the onion is softened.
2. Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes and 1/3 cup broth.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes more.
4. Add 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas, ¼ cup raisins, and ¼ cup chopped parsley, stir and remove from heat. Here is a good place to add the pecans if desired for texture and meatiness
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste

For the mash:

1. Boil  chopped sweet potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender.
2. Drain well and add 1.5 T olive oil, 2 t cumin, 1 T garlic powder, 1 t salt and 3-4 T almond milk.
3. Mash (we used a meat tenderizer since the masher was in the wash, I don't recommend)

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the meat filling in one casserole or pie dish, place the veggie filling in the other.
3. Divide the mash between the two containers and carefully spread on top.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the topping is beginning to bubble up and brown. I used the broiler for a few minutes on high to toast