Sweet Potatoes Update A Comfy Classic (NAPSA)—For 200 years and more, a one-dish meal of seasoned beef and mashed potatoes has been known ascottage pie. Like anyclassic, it’s ready for an update—and a sweet-potato topper does thejob. Think about breaking through a golden crust into sweet-potato creaminess, and then into a succulent layer of seasoned beef. Comfort foods with such qualities are often problematical on the nutrition front. But this clever twist on a popular pie is not just hearty and delicious, it’s downright wholesome. Sweet potatoes provide many nutrients, including fiber, betacarotene, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. And for those on diabetic diets, there’s good news: Preliminary research suggests that sweet potatoes help stabilize blood sugar and lowerinsulin resistance. Visit www.ncsweetpotatoes.com for more information. Mostof the nation’s sweet potatoes are cultivated in North Carolina’s fertile fields and are available year-round. Given this fact, it’s appropriate that our prizewinning cottage pie recipe comes from Ashley Bonnema, whose Ashley’s Kitchen blog is described as “Southern tradition meets genuine Midwestern values.” SWEET POTATO COTTAGE PIE 1% pounds North Carolina sweet potatoes (about 2 1 1 % 1 large) tablespoonolive oil cup chopped onion cup chopped celery teaspoon finely chopped garlic (1 large clove) 1 pound groundbeef, 90% lean 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce re te a Cottage Pie with a “Sweet”Twist. 1% teaspoons fresh thyme or teaspoon dried thyme or herbes de Provence, divided. % teaspoonsalt, divided % teaspoon ground black pepper, divided 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon milk Preheat oven to 350F.Oil a 6to 8-cup shallow baking dish. Pierce sweet potato skins; micro- waveuntil tender, about 4 to 6 minutes; cool. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion andcelery; cook andstir until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook andstir 1 min- ute. Add beef; cook andstir until it just begins to brown.Stir in tomato sauce, Worcestershire,1 teaspoon of the thyme and teaspoon of the salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Transfer to baking dish; spread evenly. Scoop sweet potato from skins into medium bow]; add butter, milk, remaining % teaspoon thyme and % teaspoon each salt and pepper. With electric beater, beat until smooth; spread over meat in baking dish. Bake until bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. YIELD: 4 to 6 portions Per serving: 386 calories, 34 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 15 g fat. Diabetic exchanges: 1.26 starch, 1.75 vegetable, 3.45 lean meat, 1.79 fat.
