1& ¼ teaspoons saltdivided use plus more for seasoning if desired
Freshly ground black pepper
2largerusset potatoes, unpeeled and cut into ½– inch to 1-inch cubes
½cupmilk
1 ½cupsfrozen edamame
1 ½cupsfrozen peas
1 ½cupscooked lentils
1teaspoondried thyme
1large onionchopped
6carrotspeeled and sliced
2leekswhite and pale green parts only, cleaned and thinly sliced
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Cut sweet potato into bite sized pieces, about ½ to 1-inch in size. You want your sweet potato chunks to be roughly uniform in size so they all cook at about the same rate.
Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large cast iron skillet or on a baking sheet, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, sprinkle with cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt, and some fresh pepper, and toss to coat. Roast in 400° F oven, turning occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until crisp and browned outside and just tender inside. Turn the oven off, or continue to preheat the oven but change the temperature to 350° F.
While the sweet potato roasts, place two medium to large sized pots of water on the stove over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil.
Add the cubed potatoes to one of the pots of boiling water and cook until tender enough to mash, about 15 minutes. Drain. Put the potatoes through a potato ricer, or smash with a masher, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, milk, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper. Mix to combine, and taste for seasonings; set aside.
While the potatoes cook, add the edamame to the second pot of boiling water and cook 4 minutes. Add the green peas, and cook an additional 1 minute. Drain. Stir in cooked lentils and dried thyme, and set aside.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onion and cook until onion is starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Add sliced carrots and leeks, and sauté until carrots are tender and leeks are translucent, about 7 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a 13x9-inch casserole dish, layer the cooked ingredients as follows:
Onions, leeks, and carrots mixture,
Edamame, peas, and lentils mixture
Roasted sweet potato
Mashed potatoes
Cover with foil. Casserole may be made ahead up this this point and refrigerated until ready to bake. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue to bake for 10 more minutes until there are some golden brown edges on the potatoes.