Sweet & Savory Hashbrown Casserole

I'll be honest, when I first started thinking about this recipe, I was a little unsure how the flavors would come together. I have really wanted to make a hash brown casserole with sweet potatoes, but I couldn't quite figure out what flavors would come together best. The sweet potatoes (yams actually) can have a very overpowering flavor. Stuff that comes out of my own head is at one end of the spectrum or the other: it's either really good or highly disastrous.

I decided that something more mild, like lemon and artichokes, would probably go best. I also thought something creamy. So, I just started throwing some stuff together to see how it would come out. I got compliments on the meal, so I'm going to call it a success. By the way, it tastes great with a white wine. Just sayin'. Then again, what doesn't taste great with a glass of white wine?

Ingredients:
2 whole yams
2 T. coconut oil (or olive oil) 
1 sweet onion
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried sage
Sea salt to taste 
2 cups soy milk (or milk of choice)
1 cup hot water
3 chicken bullion cubes
2 T. lemon juice 
2 T. Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 T. nutritional yeast (optional, but adds a deeper flavor)
1/2 tsp paprika 
Sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 T. arrowroot powder
Cold water 
1 can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray.

Wash and peel yams. Shred using a food processor (quick) or the large holes in a cheese grater (slower). Melt coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add yams and saute until soft. Arrange in baking dish, creating an even layer. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until just starting to brown.

Dice sweet onion. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with a little cooking spray, olive oil or coconut oil (your choice, but I use cooking spray to reduce the fat and calories). When tender and starting to caramelize, add ground turkey. Stir in rosemary, sage and a little sprinkle of sea salt. Cook until ground turkey is no longer pink. Keep warm over very low heat.

For the sauce, heat soy milk over medium heat, whisking frequently. Combine bullion and hot water, whisking well to combine. Add lemon juice to the hot water. Pour water mixture slowly into the milk, whisking rapidly to avoid curdling the milk.Stir in Bragg's, nutritional yeast, paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Check for taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Combine arrowroot and just a little cold water. Whisk into sauce, a little at a time, and continue simmering until desired consistency is reached. You want it fairly thick but not pasty. 

When yams are finished cooking, remove from oven. Spread turkey mixture evenly over yams, then top with artichokes. Even though they're artichoke quarters, they aren't even, so I cut some of the bigger ones in half. Use a ladle to spoon the sauce evenly over the dish. Sprinkle with a little more paprika, if desired.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake casserole for 20 minutes, or until the edges are hot and bubbly. Let cool slightly before serving.