Winter has been settling in quietly. Earlier evenings, colder floors, the kind of days that leave you wanting something warm without much effort.

Without really planning it, I’ve been making the same dinner again and again.

This is the kind of meal winter seems to ask for. Nothing complicated. Nothing fussy. Just something steady and filling after a long day. I keep coming back to it because it doesn’t require much from me. I know how it will turn out. I know it will be enough. In winter, that kind of reliability feels especially comforting.

It’s not a recipe I’d make to impress anyone. It’s the dinner I make when the house is quiet, the night comes early, and all I really want is something warm to carry me through the evening.

And for now, that’s exactly what it does.

A Few Kitchen Notes

• Bake the sweet potatoes at 425°F and poke them first.
  They cook evenly, the skins soften, and the inside turns fluffy instead of dense.
• Add olive oil to the beef only if it needs it.
  Lean beef benefits from a little oil; fattier cuts don’t.
• Fluff the potato before topping it.
  It sounds small, but it makes the whole thing feel more comforting.