Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, halved
- 1 Tbsp. avocado or olive oil
- 5 Tbsp. butter, divided
- 1 large, yellow onion, diced
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced carrots
- 1 and 1/2 cups diced celery
- 1 lb. ground red meat – beef, bison, venison, even lamb
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp. salt, divided
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. pepper, divided
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. ground sage
- 1 (6oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 cup dark beer, like Guinness or a stout
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 -3/4 cup warm milk, or to desired texture
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place the potatoes on a large baking sheet and cover them in oil.
- Roast them in the oven for about 30-35 minutes while you prepare the filling until the insides are totally soft, cut side up.
- Next, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, carrots and celery to the skillet and saute until they start to soften, which takes about 8 minutes.
- Then add the ground meat and brown, this takes about 10 minutes. Next add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, thyme, and sage. Saute everything for 2 additional minutes to let the spices release their flavor.
- Add the beer and cider vinegar and allow the alcohol to cook off, this takes about 5 minutes. Finally, stir in the tomato paste.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and turn it down to simmer for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the potatoes. When you’re ready to assemble the dish, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the frozen peas.
- When the potatoes are soft, remove them from the oven and scoop most of the flesh into a bowl leaving the skins on the baking dish.
- To the potatoes, add in the remaining butter. Gradually add the milk until you get the texture you want. I like my potatoes to be a little thinner than mashed potatoes for this dish. It helps the topping get nice and crispy.
- Spoon the meat filling into the potato skins on the backing sheet, filling each one to the top.
- Spread the mashed potato over the filling to top each potato.
- Bake the potatoes for about 15 minutes until the top is golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!