Jamaican Yuca Shepherd's Pie

Jamaican curries have a unique and irresistible blend of spices, typically including star anise, aniseeds, and coriander. This curry is one of our favor- ites—sweet potatoes, kidney beans, corn, and plantains (we also snuck some lima beans in there in hopes that you’ll cultivate some love for the little guys) in creamy coconut milk. You can serve this as a curry over rice, but we’ve turned it into a shepherd’s pie with a layer of yuca on top, because we are supercreative geniuses.

5 from 1 vote

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Total Time: 1

Servings: people

Calories: 458kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

3 to 31/2 pounds yuca peeled and cut into
11/2- inch chunks
13/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1 green bell pepper seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
248 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ¾-inch chunks
2 Scotch bonnet peppers scored down the sides (see tip)
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
⅓ cup water
1 15-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
½ cup fresh corn kernels from 1 ear of corn
1 cup cooked kidney beans or 1 (15-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
¾ cup cooked lima beans or 1 (8-ounce) can, drained and rinsed
2 ripe yellow plantains that have just begun to blacken sliced in half lengthwise and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Jamaican curry powder

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

First, prepare your yuca: Place the yuca in a medium-size stockpot and cover with water until it’s submerged. Cover and bring to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of the salt, and lower the heat to medium. Let the yuca boil for about 20 minutes, until tender enough to mash.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Preheat a medium-size stockpot over medium- high heat. Place the 2 tablespoons of the oil and the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger in the pot. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes, Scotch bon- nets, bay leaves, thyme, remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt, and water. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced.
Set your oven to broil. Add the remaining ingredients to the filling mixture in the stockpot and lower the heat. Cook for about 5 more minutes, until everything is heated through. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and Scotch bonnets.
By this point, the yuca is probably done. Drain the yuca and then immediately place it back in the pot you boiled it in. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the yuca and mash with a potato masher. It usually takes about 15 mashes to get it to the right consistency, creamy but chunky.
Pour the curried filling into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Use a large wooden spoon or spatula to scoop the yuca over it in several mounds. Press the yuca mounds down to spread over the curry. It’s okay if some of the filling is peeking through in places.
Place in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, then transfer to the broiler for about 2 minutes. Keep a close eye; the top should be gently browned. Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve in rimmed plates or shallow bowls because it will be very saucy.

Notes

Scotch bonnets are a really hot pepper, so instead of cutting them up, it’s common in Jamaican cuisines to just score the sides in four places. To do this, use a paring knife to cut slivers up the sides. It releases all the peppery avor without the searing hot heat, so it’s spicy but not too spicy. Be careful not to crush the peppers when stirring; keep them intact and remove them when the curry is done cooking. If you can’t nd Scotch bonnets, you can use two serrano peppers instead.

The easiest way to peel yuca is to remove the rough ends and cut it widthwise into thirds. Place a piece vertically on the cutting board, secure with your nonwriting hand, and use a paring knife to slice the skin o .

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