Tempeh Shepherd's Pie

8 Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
4 tb butter
15-20 pearl onions, blanched for one minute, cooled, and peeled
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery root, peeled and chopped
2 turnips, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 kale leaves, stem removed and leaves chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1, 8 oz package of tempeh, crumbled
1 can tomatoes, with their juice
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil the potatoes. Meanwhile, saute 1 of the turnips and 1/2 the celery root in 2 tb butter. Once soft, add to the cooked potatoes along with the grated Romano. Mash and stir everything together with 1 cup milk. Salt and (white) pepper to taste.

Over lowish heat, saute the blanched and peeled onions in 2 tb butter until they begin to brown and caramelize. Add the carrots, 1/2 the celery root, 1 of the turnips, and the celery. Cook, covered, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the thyme, bay leaf, kale, and tempeh. Cook, covered, for a few more minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. If the mixture is still a little dry, add 1/2 cup or so of the potato water or some vegetable stock. Continue cooking, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft but not falling apart. Season to taste.

If you've cooked the vegetables in an oven-safe dish, simply cover the mixture with mashed potatoes. Otherwise, transfer the vegetable mixture to a baking dish, then cover with the potatoes. Bake for about 15 minutes until piping hot.