Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes

I often bake potatoes, just to have around. I stuff them, pop them into salads, smother them in chilli...I pretty much think they are the most delicious vegetable and would eat them at every meal, if I could!  Earlier this week I prepared them, with the assistance of my nephew as Shepherd's Pie Stuffed Potatoes. While we were busy in the kitchen, we popped some foil wrapped potatoes into the oven at 350F.  I left them in there for about an hour. When I felt they were done...or let's be honest, when I finally remembered to check on them, I removed them from the oven and hollowed them out. 

 

I removed the potato innards and set aside in a mixing bowl. 

 

To the potato innards, I added a splash of milk, one heaping tablespoon of butter and some sea salt and pepper. I then mashed the mixture and set aside. 

While my potatoes were in the oven; I got started on the filling for my potatoes. I added a splash of olive oil to my pan and heated over medium heat. When my oil had warmed, I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic and a chopped onion. As my onion began sizzling, I added 1/2 a chopped zucchini, 2 chopped cremini mushrooms and 2 chopped carrots. When my onion appeared translucent and my veggies had softened, I added 500 grams of ground lamb. 

 

To this mixture, I added 1/2 tsp of nutmeg, 1 tsp of sage, 2 small bay leaves, sea salt and pepper. When the meat had browned, I drained off some of the excess fat. 

In a Mason jar, I shook 2 tbsps of flour with 1 tsp of knorr instant beef stock and 1 cup of hot water. I added this mixture to the meat to form a gravy, once the mix had fully combined, I removed the pan from the stove. 

I then, packed each potato full of the meat and gravy mixture and I topped them with a generous helping of mashed potatoes. After which, I placed the potatoes into the oven; preheated to 400 F.   I left them in the oven, browning for 25 minutes.  Once done, I allowed them to cool for 10 minutes, while I threw together some sautéed kale and veggies, to be served on a bed of lettuce. These were a big hit at my dinner table! Even my 10 year old son tolerated the veggies being mixed up with his meat! Tolerated...that's it.  He tried his best with no real whining or complaining.  He later chowed down on a roast chicken as I pulled it from the oven for this week's school lunches. I'm calling it a win!

 

The possibilities for this dish are limitless! Taco Stuffed Potatoes, Greek Chicken Stuffed Potatoes....the wheels are turning!  They're fantastic in a lunch box!

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, concerns or you just liked this Big Idea, feel free to comment below!