I hit a lull last week and really just didn’t know what to make for dinner. I used to be constantly reading recipe books and magazines tabbing and cutting out pages for future dinner ideas. I had such a backlog we never made it through half of the recipes. That was a long time ago.
I don’t get the same excitement browsing recipes on the web. It’s just not the same.
So, I was stuck and decided just to head to the grocery and let the ingredients inspire me. I found ostrich. Minced ostrich to be exact. I have had ostrich a few times in the States and a few times here and really like it, so I thought- “Why not?”
It’s getting cooler here so I wanted homey food. I decided a shepherd’s pie was in order. If you’ve never had it, it’s basically ground beef, corn and topped with mashed potatoes and then baked. Sometimes with cheese on top, really there are tons of variations out there.
I decided to keep it simple, but give it a twist since I was already using ostrich.
I love their sweet potatoes here…
They’re white and have a more delicate flavor so I chopped, boiled and mashed them with a little milk, salt and pepper. Set aside.
I boiled fresh corn and then cut it off the cob. Canned corn doesn’t have that crunch and I wanted the sweet pop to give the pie some texture.
I sautéed some onions and then just browned the ostrich. I seasoned with salt, pepper and loads of cinnamon. I had those ostrich steaks before at Moyo and cinnamon really goes well with the slightly gamey taste of the ostrich and it would go perfectly with the sweet potatoes.
Put the meat and onions in a casserole, top with corn and then spread the mash on top- pop in the oven until hot and starting to brown.
Um, guys- this was delicious. As in de-lish-us.
I know you can find ostrich at groceries back home and I’m telling you- get it. It has less calories and fat than a skinless chicken breast but tastes like red meat. Win, win!
I’m eyeing some ostrich fillets for my next escapade with the giant bird.
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