As I sit here with the soothing steam of my echinacea tea swirling around the computer screen, buried in a mountain of tissues, I am battling with how to even begin writing about food seeing as I can’t smell or taste anything today due to a stubborn sinus infection. Terrible, right?
Yesterday, as I was out running errands, a certain billboard caught my eye. There were two pictures, one of a noticeably well-fed child and another of an emaciated child with the words ” What’s for Will I eat dinner?” sandwiched between the two children. Normally when I encounter advertisements like these, whether on a billboard or even worse, TV, I can’t help but look away. My thought pattern goes a little like this… I can’t imagine. Don’t wan’t to imagine. Seems too big to conquer. I can’t make it any better. Makes me feel guilty. Don’t want to feel guilty. I’ll think about something else now.
For some reason, this time, I let the message sink in, and it really got to me. I was going about my comfortable little Saturday, buying things I didn’t really need, worrying about issues that I have no control over when bam, God sent me a little billboard not to inspire guilt, but to gently shepherd me out of my self-centered haze and into gratitude. To help me consider, even for just a second, life from another perspective.
So today, as I am temporarily without the senses of taste and smell, I am reminded of my many blessings, of the fact that I normally can taste and smell, and that I not only have a house stocked with fresh food, but the ability to transform it into something delicious and comforting, like this heavenly shepherdess pie that I can’t stop making. Seriously, it’s like a soul-hug.
Buen provecho, y’all. And happy billboard hunting.
- 3 medium-large sweet potatoes
- 1 baking/russet potato
- 2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup grated cheese (parmesan or asiago are best)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup green olives, chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5-2 pounds ground beef, venison, veal, bison(or a combo)
- 1/2 cup currants or golden raisins
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups greens (such a spinach, kale, mustard greens, etc)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add potatoes and bake for about an hour (Can do this ahead of time.)
- In a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add in onion and saute for about 3 minutes until soft and fragrant. Add garlic and saute for about a minute more. Add beef, currants, almonds, spices, and cook, stirring constantly, until beef is browned. Add greens and saute 2 more minutes or until wilted down significantly.
- Once potatoes are cooked, scoop them out into a large stock pot with 2 cups milk. Use an immersion blender to whip until smooth. Sprinkle in cheese. Salt and pepper to taste
- Evenly spread whipped potatoes over the meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and cook for about 25-30 minutes. To get a crisp, bubbly top, crank up the oven to a 500 degree broil and cook for a minute or so more. Keep a close eye while you do this! Serve hot and enjoy!