dinner at 207

The other day I was talking to Dr. Brother, he mentioned his wife, the Beadlady, was thinking about calling to get some of my recipes. I was flattered! It got me thinking about what we cook at our house, and why we cook it. As well as what others cook, bake, eat and enjoy.

When the Praire family came for a visit Prarielady asked a few things about what I had made and where did I get a recipe for that. Prairelady also shared one of her recipes with me...from one of our favorite websites....Epicurious.com.

Thinking back on these interactions while I was preparing dinner tonight I decided to start posting some of my favorites...hoping that my lovely friends might follow suit and share some of their favorites with me and mr. ;)

For some reason when I went to the grocery last week I decided to buy a sweet potato. I never buy sweet potatoes. So tonight, when the Mr. and I were deciding what we should eat, we looked to the sweet potato (and epicurious) for some inspiration. I found this great recipe...though it might be best if I waited to try some before I post this...it has a great list of ingredients- most of which we had, and I am just sure it is going to be great! At least edible. So, on a cool and cloudy spring evening, we will dine on a fall dish.

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Sausage Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potatoes and Squash

1 1/2 pounds tan-skinned sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 medium russet potato, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
6 drops hot pepper sauce
preparation
Cook sweet potatoes, squash and russet potato in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain. Return all potatoes and squash to same saucepan and mash. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 5 minutes. Add butter and syrup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mash mixture until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat until sausage is brown and cooked through, breaking up with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl; reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet. Add onions and garlic to skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until onions are tender and golden, about 7 minutes. Add onion mixture to sausage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool. Mix in peas, corn, cream, egg, curry powder, coriander and hot sauce.

Transfer sausage mixture to prepared baking dish. Spoon mashed potato mixture over; smooth top. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Bake until heated through and potatoes begin to brown around edges, about 45 minutes (or about 1 hour for casserole that has been refrigerated). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

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A few things I changed....

We didn't have any squash so I used 1 large sweet potatoes, and 3 regular potatoes (on the smaller side)

I added mushrooms to the onions and sauted them together. And I used a mixed bag of frozen veggies, not just peas and corn.

I also added some thyme to the mixture.

I didn't put in the hot sauce...I don't like things too spicy and I figure we can add that to our own personal tastes after it is done.

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There was about 1/2 hour of prep for this dish, but then you have 45 minutes to clean the pots and pans...and blog! I love relaxing before serving dinner. Soon we will enjoy!

I will let you know how it turns out.