Beef Shepherd's Pie with Cornbread Sweet Potato Topping

This is a sweet and moist cornbread topping you can use whether you prepare a beef base or a bean base for the pie (see cook's note below).1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
2 small or one large stalk celery, finely diced
1 lb ground beef

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cubed

3 tsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup stock
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp beef stock base paste (or bouillon cube)

Dry topping ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp coarse corn meal or grits
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dill weed

Wet topping ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375F. In a small pot, cover potato with cold water. Bring to a broil, add a good pinch of salt, reduce heat and simmer until cooked through. Drain and mash well with a masher. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, sauté the onion, carrot and celery for about ten minutes, until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add the ground beef and brown well. Remove ground beef to a bowl and melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the flour for about 2 minutes and then whisk on the stock, wine, Worcestershire and beef stock paste ( or bouillon). Whisk until thickened. Then stir in the ground beef mixture into the sauce and mix well.

Whisk together the dry topping ingredients. Beat together the wet topping ingredients with the sweet potato. Spread the beef evenly on an oiled 9x13-inch casserole. Fold together the topping wet and dry ingredients and distribute evenly on top of the beef.

Bake for 35-45 minutes uncovered, until bubbly, and topping is well browned. Serves 4-6.

Cook's Note: You can also use this topping to make a bean-based Shepherd's pie. Here I used a mixed bean dahl as the base, and used individual ramekins for the dish. I also garnished with some grated cheddar cheese.