Early in the summer, Gilbert’s mother, Virgen, gave me a sweet potato that had sprouted, knowing I love to grow things, especially food.  After a bit of research, I learned that you can cut off the sprouts, put them in water to root them, then put them in the garden and grow your own sweet potatoes. Awesome!

Just about a month ago, we had our first hard frost. That’s the time to harvest sweet potatoes. The potatoes continue to grow and get bigger into the fall until the first frost. What started out as a simple 1/2 hour job harvesting my 3 sweet potato vines turned into an all day chore. Did I have a bumper crop? NO! I have rocky New England soil! The first rock of considerable size I hit while harvesting turned out to be about 50 pounds.  Eric helped me move it out of the garden.  The next one was just 40 pounds and Eric easily lifted that out for me. Then came a massive rock the size of a Galapagos sea turtle (200-300 pounds for those of you who don’t know the mass of a Galapagos sea turtle!) We had to use a ramp and levers to pry it out of the ground and roll it out of the garden. But I got my potatoes all dug out and while they were pretty small, I’m excited to grow more next year!

We’re making this recipe to use up some of our Thanksgiving turkey and the mashed sweet potatoes!

Sweet Potato-Topped Turkey Casserole (adapted from bhg.com)

Makes: 5 servings  Prep 45 mins  Bake 400° 20 mins

Ingredients

• Sweet Potato Topping
• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper

• Filling
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large yellow onion, about 2 cups, diced
• 3/4 cup diced celery (3 stalks)
• 3/4 cup peeled and diced carrot (2 medium carrots)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 2 1/2 cups shredded roast turkey or chicken (about 12 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

Directions:

For Sweet Potato Topping: In a saucepan, combine the sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon of the salt and enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Bring the potatoes to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain the potatoes then return them to the warm pan. Stir them over low heat for 1 minute. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes. Stir in the melted butter, nutmeg, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set the potatoes aside.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°.

For Turkey Filling::

In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook and stir the veggies for about 2 minutes. Add the salt. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stirring to incorporate the flour with the vegetables. Slowly stir in the stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally until it is all smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Bring the mixture to a simmer.

Add the turkey, parsley, sage, and thyme. Stir to combine and return the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat when it is heated through.

Spoon the filling into the 2 1/2- to 3-quart rectangular baking dish.

Using a rubber spatula, carefully spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the filling, leaving some of the filling visible.

Bake the casserole until bubbly and piping hot, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

See you next Thanksgiving, Mr. Turkey!  ~Linda

Sweet Potato-Topped Turkey Casserole (adapted from bhg.com)

Makes: 5 servings  Prep 45 mins  Bake 400° 20 mins

ingredients

• Sweet Potato Topping
• 2 pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper

• Filling
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
• 1 large yellow onion, about 12 ounces or (2 cups), diced
• 3/4 cup diced celery
• 3/4 cup peeled and diced carrot
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken or turkey stock
• 2 1/2 cups shredded roast turkey or chicken
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

directions:

For Sweet Potato Topping: In a saucepan, combine the sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon of the salt and enough water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Bring the potatoes to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10 minutes.

Drain the potatoes then return them to the warm pan. Stir them over low heat for 1 minute. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes. Stir in the melted butter, nutmeg, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set the potatoes aside.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°.

For Turkey Filling::

In a large saucepan, melt the butter with the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook and stir the veggies for about 2 minutes. Add the salt. Partially cover the pot with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes.

Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stirring to incorporate the flour with the vegetables. Slowly stir in the stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally until it is all smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Add the turkey, parsley, sage, and thyme. Stir to combine and return the mixture to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat. Spoon the filling into the 2 1/2-to 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Using a rubber spatula, carefully spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the filling, leaving some of the filling visible. Bake the casserole until bubbly and piping hot, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.