Veggie shepherd’s pie
This delicious creation was born, sort of by accident, out of our love of bean stews. And with celeriac being so good at this time of year (not to mention being packed with vital vits), we’re trying to get it into as many of our dishes as possible at the moment. And so, we introduce, our veggie shepherd’s pie. Starting with a simple stew base and topped with the most amazing combination of sweet potato and celeriac, it’s just the kind of comforting goodness we crave at this time of year. Enjoy it on a gym day, people, and reap the carb rewards.
Play around with the veg in this. The mushrooms really make it for us, but you could also try peppers and courgette too. The yogurt and egg yolk in the mash give it an extra richness but can be left out if you’d prefer.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
For the bean base:
- 1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 100g mushrooms, chopped
- 1/2 glass (around 50ml) red wine
- 100g green lentils
- 1 can borlotti or butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 200ml good quality vegetable stock
For the mash:
- 250g sweet potato (peeled weight, approx 2 large), peeled and roughly chopped
- 250g celeriac (peeled weight, approx 1/2 head), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tbsp natural or Greek yogurt
- 1 egg yolk
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large, deep, non-stick pan and sweat the onions on a low heat, with the lid on, for about 10 minutes until soft and transparent.
- Turn up to a moderate heat and stir in the garlic, carrots and mushrooms and sautee for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes. Stir in the lentils, beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and stock, then place the lid back on and bring to the boil.
- Simmer, with the lid on at an angle, for about 35-40 minutes until the vegetables and lentils are soft, the stew has thickened and most of the liquid has reduced.
- While the stew is cooking, place the sweet potatoes and celeriac in a pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for approx 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft but still holding their shape. When cooked, drain thoroughly and mash roughly with a fork (it’s nice to keep it fairly chunky) with the butter, yogurt, egg yolk and salt and pepper.
- About 10 minutes before the end of cooking, pre-heat a grill to 180°C.
- Arrange the stew to fill half a large, ovenproof dish, then spread the mash on top using a spatula. Place under the grill for about 10 minutes until the mash has browned and crisped at the edges.
