Shepherd's Pie Made with Lamb and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 2 large white sweet potatoes
• 1 pound ground lamb
• ¼ cup finely chopped leek
• ¼ cup finely chopped celery
• 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce (such as Pomì)
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup tahini
• ½ cup finely chopped green onions

Step 1

Gently heat your oven to 450°F (230°C). While it’s warming up, poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and pop them onto a baking sheet. Bake them for about 50 minutes to an hour, or until they’re nice and tender when you poke them with a fork.

Step 2

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, warm up a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground lamb and cook it, breaking it apart with a spoon, until it’s browned and crumbly—this usually takes around 5 to 7 minutes. Once it’s done, transfer the lamb to a plate and set it aside.

Step 3

Toss the chopped onion, leek, and celery into the same skillet and sauté them until they’re soft and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, chickpeas, cumin, salt, and pepper. Turn the heat down a bit and let everything simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Then, add the lamb back in and cook it all together for another minute or two.

Step 4

Turn your oven down to 325°F (165°C). Scoop the lamb mixture into a baking dish. Mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl, mixing in tahini and green onions until smooth and creamy. Spread this mash evenly over the lamb.

Step 5

Pop the dish back into the oven and bake it for about 40 minutes, until it’s bubbling all over and the topping has a lovely golden color. Let it cool just a bit before serving, and enjoy!