Depression Era Liberty Mash – Slow Cooker

Depression Era Liberty Mash. This slow cooker liberty mash is a simple, old-fashioned meal made with only five ingredients. Beef tongue cooks slow with sweet canned sweet potatoes and onion until soft and full of flavor. It’s a filling, budget-friendly dinner that brings back cozy, homemade farmhouse cooking.

There is a special kind of cooking that comes from using what you already have and letting a slow cooker turn simple pantry foods into a full dinner. This liberty mash comes from ideas used during the Great Depression, when people used cheap canned sweet potatoes and beef tongue with just a few more basic foods to make a filling dinner in July. It’s the kind of meal that reminds us of old farmhouse cooking, where nothing good was wasted, and long, slow cooking was trusted to make food tender and comforting.

Serve this rich, gently sweet mash with buttery green beans, simple cabbage slaw, or sliced tomatoes to add some color to the plate. A pan of cornbread or a few slices of bread are great for soaking up the tasty juices. If you like a bit of tangy flavor, try adding a spoonful of yellow mustard or some quick pickles on the side to balance out the sweetness.

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 frozen raw beef tongue (about 2½ to 3 pounds)
• 2 cans sweet potatoes in syrup (15 ounces each, undrained)
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Depression Era Liberty Mash: Directions

1. Place the frozen beef tongue into the bottom of the slow cooker. Scatter the sliced onion pieces both around and on top of the tongue.
2. Open the cans of sweet potatoes and pour them, syrup and all, right over the top of the tongue and onions. Sprinkle the salt and black pepper evenly over everything.
3. Put the lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW flame for 8 – 10 hrs. The tongue is ready when it feels very soft and a fork slides in easily, and the sweet potatoes should be very mushy too.
4. Carefully lift the cooked tongue out of the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Wait until it’s cool enough to touch, then peel off the thick outer skin and cut away any rough or tough spots. Slice or chop the meat into pieces.
5. Use a potato masher to mash the sweet potatoes and onions right inside the slow cooker until smooth. Stir the sliced tongue back into the mash and let it sit for about 10 minutes so the flavors can blend together before serving.