A Likkle More Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
with Hot Honey
a dinner recipe
I was born in Kingston Jamaica but grew up just east of Toronto, referred from this point on as The Six (paying homage to the once one-and-only area code of the city 416). My whole life I have spent in this city. My father drove the subway for 35 years and out of all my parents friends and family we were the only ones who didn’t live in Toronto. Dated boys, had best friends, went to University, night clubs shopping, eating, concerts all in this city. So it’s been quite a love affair. And all these years, I feel like it’s always been me somehow going west, from east of The Six.
Now I have lots of passions. My family. Cooking. Music. Books. Movies. Basketball. Laughter. All of which were birthed out of what I would consider a lonely childhood, but happy nonetheless. No tears to shed. Certainly possible to have both as I did. But that’s a story for another day.
I started this cooking as an escape during my maternity leave and later during the many lockdowns. As I documented my adventures in the kitchen on Instagram, it began to turn into so much more. A community. A creative outlet. Source of inspiration. Friendships. A new passion. And down the rabbit hole I go.
As the days grow shorter and nights grow colder I find myself leaning into comfort foods that wrap themselves around me. Nothing is more comforting to me than a delicious Shepherd's pie, especially one made with sweet potato and topped with hot honey featuring my spice blend, A Likkle More. A little twist on the traditional recipe, brining a little heat and a little sweetness to warm up a chilly evening.
TIME (ACTIVE) | 30 M
TIME (INACTIVE) | 1 H
TOTAL | 1 H 30 M
8 SERVINGS
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
CAST IRON PAN•
- Peel and quarter potatoes and boil in water until softened.
- Add in warm milk, butter and salt. Mash and set aside.
- Brown and drain ground beef in cast iron.
- Add in carrots, peas, garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes.
- Add in bullion, broth, tomato paste, soya sauce, thyme and spice blend.
- Cook until well blended.
- Top with mashed potato blend.
- Top with cheese.
- Bake in oven at 350 for 40 minutes and then broil on low for 10.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Top with hot honey and serve with warm cornbread.
3-4 days
*Love a cast iron because you can go straight from stove to oven.
Many of the ingredients I have given alternatives as this recipe is forgiving. Use what is in you pantry.
You can buy store bought hot honey or cornbread or you can check out my Selefina profile page to make yours from scratch using Selefina's delicious chillies.
leaf
Add dried thyme to your oven roasted dishes for a savory Mediterranean taste. Pair it with basil and oregano to lean toward Italian flavor combinations or pair it with lavender and celery seeds to lean toward French recipe favorites.
0.18 oz - PORTION$0.50
0.6 oz - JAR$4
0.6 oz - REFILL$3
2 oz - REFILL$13
dark pink
fine grain
Himalayan salt has a strong, salty flavor and a slight mineral aroma. This version is fine grain and ready to use in cooking or as a table salt replacement.
0.39 oz - PORTION$0.50
4 oz - JAR$3
4 oz - REFILL$2
16 oz - REFILL$7
Memories of Jamaica
spice blend collab
Working on this spice blend has been a journey. A journey that took me back home to Kingston Jamaica where I found myself immersed in the all the smells and foods that I grew up with.
I have never considered myself much of a cook although perhaps others would disagree. I started off this path afraid to be in the kitchen without a clue where to begin. So when I resolved to turn myself into what I would consider a "home cook," the first place I turned was to my childhood. And this is where I found myself again when I started to develop my own spice blend.
Memories of being in the kitchen with my grandmother watching her as she happily laboured at the stove. The smell and aromas rising in waves from the bubbling pots and pans. Memories of driving through the city as the street vendors would be preparing food to be sold later in the day smoking meats in hollowed out barrels. Memories of afternoons at the beach watching as the fisherman would pull that day's catch into the sandy kitchens of the food huts that lined the nooks along the shore.
In this spice blend are all memories of those smells and aromas of my childhood. Even the name of this spice blend is something my grandmother would often say in the kitchen.
In Jamaican patois, a "likkle more" translates into a "little more." Although often used as a salutation, for this blend I use it as a way to describe the versatility of these flavours. You can use a little more or a little less to reach that perfect flavour.
