Vegetarian mains
Mushroom & lentil cottage pie with sweet potato
A veggie version of a cottage pie with lentils providing the protein and the mushrooms adding their distinctive texture and depth. The topping Is a transformative tweak to normal mash for extra goodness and a striking colour. Mixing your potatoes 50/50 with another root veg to subtly change its character is a simple, tasty trick. Sweet potatoes are a particularly good partner as they cook in much the same time and will mash smoothly, avoiding the rustic lumpiness of veg like celeriac, swede or parsnips. They add fragrant sweetness and some handsome colour but can sometimes be a bit too fudgy and wet if mashed on their own.
Cook's notes
Mash loves dairy in all forms but if you want to keep things vegan, olive oil in place of butter.
Ingredients
main
- 1 onion, finely sliced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 2 carrots, finely diced
- 400g Portobello or wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 200ml red wine
- 1 x 400g tin cooked puy lentils, drained
- 200g chopped tomatoes – approx. half a tin.
- 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
- 200ml vegetable stock
For the topping:
- 500g sweet potatoes
- 500g floury potatoes
- butter or olive oil
- salt & pepper
Method
For the topping:
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Step 1
Wash and peel both types of potato. Cut into even-sized pieces. Place in a saucepan of well-salted water and bring up to a boil. Simmer for 20 mins, until tender.
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Step 2
Drain the potatoes and let them dry a little in the colander before mashing or passing through a potato ricer (our preferred method). Add a generous knob of butter and taste and tweak the seasoning with salt and pepper to your liking.
For the filling:
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Step 1
Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan and cook the onions, celery and carrots with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes, over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes until they have started to darken and soften.
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Step 2
Add the garlic, rosemary, bay and red wine. Let the wine bubble away and reduce by half, this will only take a few minutes. Tip in the lentils, tomatoes, tamari and stock. Simmer gently for 10-15 minutes until everything is warmed through, tender and has the desired consistency.
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Step 3
Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer to an oven/pie dish - approx. 25cm by 25cm and level out with the back of a spoon. Top with your mash, grate over a little extra cheese and then bake at 200°c/Gas 6 for 20 minutes or so, or until the top is golden.