Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Mash
Pancakes
Harvest of the day: Thyme, rosemary
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Mash
Ingredients (x6-8)
Sweet Potato Mash
- 1.25kg (about 5) sweet potatoes
- 120ml milk
- 1 heaped tbsp butter
- 150g cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper
Filling
- 1 red onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 stick of celery
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 250g (1.5 cups) dried red lentils
- 2 tins (800g) chopped tomatoes
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp marmite
- 1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 2 inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan of boiling water and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Finely dice the onions and celery, crush the garlic and roughly chop the mushrooms. Heat some oil on medium heat in a large frying pan or saucepan and put the onion in.
Next add the garlic, celery and then the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes until the liquid from the mushrooms is absorbed.
Rinse the lentils and add along with all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer and let cook and thicken for about 25 minutes.
Check the sweet potatoes. Pierce with a knife and if soft, turn off the heat, drain and return to the pan.
Add the milk and whisk using a hand mixer until soft. Add the butter and cheese and mix again. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Leave to one side.
Stir the lentil mixture to make sure none is stuck to the bottom. The sauce should have thickened and darkened in colour and the lentils will be soft. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Place the lentil filling into a large dish or individual ramekins. Place dollops of the sweet potato mash on top and spoon to the edges. With the back of a fork gently make lines/peaks in the mash (this will help it to crisp).
Pop in the oven for 25 minutes, you may want to place the dish on a baking tray in case of any spillages.
Serve and top with some fresh herbs! I like to serve with some sauteed green veg or a leafy salad.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- 135g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 130ml milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking
Method
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.
Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it’s melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm/½in thick.
Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.
Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra butter, if you like.
Grow Dundee 