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| What You Need: |
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6 tablespoons butter, softened, plus
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 pounds lean boneless pork, trimmed of all fat and cut into ½-inch dice
4 medium-sized tart cooking apples (about 1½ pounds), peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
½ cup water
6 medium-sized boiling potatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into quarters
½ to ¾ cup milk
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| How To Cook: |
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1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Using a pastry brush, coat the bottom and sides of a heavy 5-to 6-quart casserole with 2 tablespoons of the softened butter. In a small bowl, combine the chopped onions, sage, salt and a few grindings of pepper, and toss them about with a spoon until well mixed.
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2. Spread about one third of the diced pork in the casserole, strew with ½ cup of the onion mixture, top with half the apple slices, and sprinkle with another ½ cup of the onions. Repeat with layers of pork, onions and apples, and top with the remaining pork.
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3. Pour in the water, and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Cover the casserole tightly, and bake in the middle of the oven for 1½ hours, or until the pork is tender and shows no resistance when pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife.
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4. Meanwhile, drop the potatoes into enough lightly salted boiling water to cover them completely. Boil briskly, uncovered, until tender, then drain and return the potatoes to the pan. Shake over low heat until the potatoes are dry and mealy. Then mash them to a smooth puree with a fork, a potato ricer or an electric mixer.
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5. Beat in the remaining 4 tablespoons of softened butter and ½ cup of the milk, 2 tablespoons at a time. Use up to ¼ cup more milk if necessary to make a puree thick enough to hold its shape in a spoon. Beat in ½ teaspoon of salt and a few grindings of black pepper, taste for seasoning, and set aside.
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6. When the pork is done, spread the mashed potatoes evenly over it with a spatula. Make an attractive pattern on the potatoes with the tines of a fork, and brush liberally with the melted butter.
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7. Bake in the upper third of the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the top of the pie has begun to brown. Slide under the broiler for a few seconds to give the potatoes a deeper color, and serve at once, directly from the casserole.
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