Shepherd’s Pie with Butternut Squash Mash (or something like that!)

Our house is starting to feel like a home, the holidays are over, student teaching has commenced, and I finally have some time to start cooking again (well between studying and portfolio writing). I had seen somewhere in a magazine a variation of Cottage Pie with its mashed pototes swapped out with mashed pumpkin. It sounded incredible, but obviously I don’t have a pumpkin lying around. What I did have was my last beastly butternut squash, which has been calling my name lately. With a slight variation on my previous cottage pie recipe, I whipped togther this amazing shepherd/cottage/log cabin pie. Yea- I think I should rename it to log cabin pie and trademark it. It was that good!

Butternut Squash Mash

1.5-2 lb butternut squash

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Slice the buttnernut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Roast cut side up on a parchment paper lined baking sheet for approximately one hour or until soft. Check with a fork. Once cooled, remove flesh from the skin and mash with butter and cream. Set aside.

For the Pie

1 lb ground beef (or other meat of choice)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 pinch dried sage

1 pinch dried thyme

2 tbsp flour

1.5 cups chicken stock

1 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

2-3 tbsp panko bread crumbs

Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrot, celery, and herbs and sautee for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add ground beef and sautee until not longer pink. When the beef is cooked, sprinkle flour over mixture and stir well. Add the chicken stock and stir as it thickens. Season with S&P.

Lower heat to 325°F when the squash has been removed from the oven. When the stock is reduced and thickened, transer the meat mixture to an oven proof dish. Top with the butternut squash (if you have extra, freeze in ziploc bags for an easy vegetable on a weeknight). Sprinkle the cheddar cheese and bread crumbs on the top (and some freshly ground pepper if you’d like). Bake for 20-30 minutes, until hot!