Piping mashed potatoes through a cake decorating tip is quite a bit easier and less ridiculous than it sounds. In fact, this was the part of the recipe that was the most downright fun. All that’s required to achieve an effect at least as good as mine is a steady hand and confidence. You’ll find your rhythm in piping out the type of ribbons you like the look of best.
I love this French riff on shepherd’s pie. Real hachis parmentier tricolore is made with shredded stewed meat, but I cut the cooking time by using ground beef cooked in a skillet instead of a slow-cooked version. I can’t tell that this Paleo shepherd’s pie lost anything in translation…but feel free to substitute full-fat, grass-fed dairy instead of the coconut oil and coconut milk.
I got the concept of a tricolored topping from the cookbook My Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo, but adapted it heavily by doing away with quite a few of the original’s ingredients (dairy, sugar, nutmeg, and broth to name a few). However, this Paleo shepherd’s pie recipe is traditional in that it calls for potatoes. If you’re not a fan of nightshades, make this with a solid piping of mashed yams… it won’t be as intricate but it’ll still have the “wow” effect. Or experiment with mashed cauliflower, that would really be amazing!
Enjoy this Paleo shepherd’s pie. ♥
- Topping
- 1 lb yam
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1/3 cup <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LKVIEG/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000LKVIEG&linkCode=as2&tag=grokgrcom-20″>coconut milk</a><img src=”http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=grokgrcom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000LKVIEG” width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″ alt=”” style=”border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- Filling
- 2 tbsp <a href=”http://villagegreennetwork.com/marketplace/fats-oils-coconut-products/?affid=141536/”>coconut oil</a>
- 2 leeks, white part only
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 carrot
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 sprigs of thyme (leaves only)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Peel the potatoes and yam, then roughly chop. Transfer to a medium pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Simmer at medium low, covered, until the root vegetables are soft (approximately 20 minutes).
- To prepare the filling, heat two teaspoons of coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Thinly slice the white parts of two leeks, and add them to the skillet.
- Peel the carrot and garlic cloves, then pulse them together in a food processor until finely shredded (alternatively, dice very finely). Add to the leeks in the skillet, along with the ground beef. Cook until the beef is no longer pink.
- Add the thyme, bay leaf, and tomato paste, stir. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then pack evenly into an 11″ oval baking dish.
- To finish the topping, remove the potatoes and yams from the pot, cool enough to handle, then mash the potatoes until very smooth using a food processor, with 1/3 cup coconut milk and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
- Divide the mashed potatoes in half, then puree one half with 1/4 cup parsley leaves until uniformly green.
- Mash the yams with 1/4 salt in a food processor . Set aside.
- Put together a pastry bag, coupler and large round frosting tip. Fold the top half of the bag over to form a cuff, then spoon in the white mashed potatoes. Slowly squeeze the potatoes down into the tip, then out in a ribbon across the surface of the filling.
- Leaving an empty space for the yams and green potatoes, continue piping potato out until the dish has been done end-to-end.
- Clean the pastry bag, then fill with mashed yams. Repeat the process, leaving room for the green potatoes.
- Clean the pastry bag, then fill with green potato and pipe out to fill the last remaining spaces across the dish’s surface.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until lightly browned and bubbly around the edges. Serve warm.
The Comments
Michelle B
The ingredients list contains “2 shallots, white part only” but the instructions mention leeks… which should it be? *confused* 🙂
Fresh Planet Flavor
Michelle BIt should be leeks! Corrected now.
Paleo Meat Cake Food and Fitness Adventures | Grok Grub
[…] that actually looks like a real cake? I didn’t think it was possible at all until I made my Tricolor Paleo Shepherd’s Pie and used cake frosting tips to pipe mashed potatoes as decoration. It came out better than I […]
Lynn
The recipe says it contains ground beef, but there’s nothing about the beef in the actual steps… I assume you cook it in the skillet with the carrots, garlic, leeks, etc. Otherwise, this sounds yummy! I’m going to try to make this tonight and throw the beef in the skillet with the veggies/herbs.
Fresh Planet Flavor
LynnYou’re right, Lynn. I added it into the instructions now, thanks for pointing it out!
Terri
Can’t wait to make this… looks yummy. You could probably sub turnips and/or rutabagas for the regular potatoes to make it a bit more low carb friendly and give a bit of a different flavor, which I think I’ll do,
Fresh Planet Flavor
TerriOh, for sure. Feel free to sub in those turnips and/or rutabagas. 🙂