3-4 tbsp butter/olive oil/coconut oil
2 pounds ground meat
1 head of celery, diced finely (I normally use my food processor for this)
About a pound of carrots, diced finely (if they are organic I don’t worry to peel them)
1 medium onion, diced finely
2-3 garlic cloves, diced finely
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 heaping tbsp dried thyme
½ tbsp dried rosemary
3-4 tbsp fresh diced sage or 1 tbsp dried sage
Top Layer:
4 large sweet potatoes, diced into 1 to 2 in chunks (white or Japanese are my fav – but regular garnet sweet potatoes are fine)
About 3-4 tbsp butter or coconut oil
About ¼ to ½ cup milk/cream/non-dairy milk
½ to 1 tsp sea salt
Directions:
You can do this whatever way you find to be easiest – but I find this method saves me time/dishes –
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large 13×9 casserole dish add 2 tbsp of butter/oil and the diced carrots and celery (it will seem like a lot but the veggies shrink a lot). Toss to coat the veggies well. Sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Cover loosely with foil and place in the oven. Cook until softened, about 20-30 minutes. Stir halfway through cooking time. (Alternatively you can cook these on the stove in a big pot.)
3. Once the veggies are in the oven – in a large pot, add the sweet potatoes, a pinch of sea salt, and enough water to cover – bring to a boil, and cook until easily pierced with a knife/fork. Peel or no peel is fine.
3. While the veggies and sweet potatoes cook – In a large saute pan add 1-2 tbsp oil/butter over medium heat. Once it has come to temperature add the onion and saute until softened/translucent. Add the diced garlic cloves and stir the onion and garlic mixture until you can start to smell the garlic. At that point add the ground meat to the pan, break it down and stir it into the garlic and onion. Add all of the spices, reserving the sage if it is fresh.
4. Cook the meat through, and then carefully drain it of the excess liquid. Add fresh sage, stir in. Set aside.
5. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, drain the liquid. Add them back to the pot, and then add in the butter/oil, milk and sea salt. The consistency should be really smooth with no lumps – add more milk/butter until they are creamy and smooth.
6. Once the veggies are softened, remove from the oven. Add the meat mixture to the veggies, and mix well. Flatten the top of the mixture with a spatula/back of a spoon. Now spread the sweet potato mixture over the top evenly, spread with a spatula.
7. Place in the 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Optional: for last 3-5 minutes, turn on broil, to get the top slightly browned.
8. Remove from oven, carefully slice out pieces and let it cool for 4-5 minutes. It’s hot!
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