Hearty Flat Mushroom and Puy Lentil Cottage Pie
Ingredients:
6 large Maris Piper potatoes
Knob of butter or margarine
Splash of milk or cream
Black pepper, white pepper and sea salt
½ carrot, diced
1 leek, sliced and washed
1 onion, diced
½ stick of celery, diced
120g puy lentils
1½ -2 pt good quality vegetable stock
Sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
8 large Flat mushrooms, diced (or whichever mushrooms you prefer)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
50g grated cheese (optional, but mature cheddar works best)
1 large tomato, sliced (optional)
Method
- Peel and boil potatoes for the mash. Once soft, leave to drain for five minutes then mash together with butter, a splash of milk or cream and season with salt and white pepper.
- Sauté the onion until translucent then add all the remaining vegetables apart from mushrooms.
- Once vegetables start to soften, add puy lentils and sauté for further 1-2 minutes, before adding vegetable stock, soy, fresh herbs and bay leaves.
- Bring to simmer, add salt and black pepper to taste and simmer until lentils are soft and fully cooked. Add more liquid if required.
- Add chopped mushrooms and cook for a further five minutes until mushrooms are cooked. Taste and add more seasoning if necessary.
- Layer the mixture in a large deep oven-proof dish. Aim for at least a 2 inch depth of mixture at the bottom, before layering the creamy potato over the top, aiming for at least 1 inch depth.
- Garnish the cottage pie by sprinkling with grated cheese and tomato slices (if using).
- Bake at 190 degrees Celsius until bubbling and the top is golden and crispy.
- Serve with red or green sautéd cabbage.
