For posterity!
Lentil Shepherd's Pie
I sort of made this up based on several recipes and didn't measure as I went along. Doing the best I can from memory. Serves 8? It's a lot of dense food. Tastes even better the next day.
6 russet potatoes, cubed
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic (3-4 large cloves)
2 cups frozen veggies (I used peas and corn)
1 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
3 cups cooked lentils
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (or 1/4 tsp liquid smoke)
3 Tbsp margarine, plus extra
1/4 cup unsweetened plain soymilk, plus extra
salt and pepper to taste
1. Bring large pot to a boil and put potatoes in for 18-20 minutes, until a piece crumbles when you try to put a fork in it.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil on medium-high in a large pan. Sautee onions about 5 mins, until translucent. Add garlic and frozen veggies, cook 5 mins. Mix in spices, then add lentils and cook 5 mins. Reduce heat to medium-low and mix in soy sauce and sesame oil.
3. The potatoes will be almost done - CAREFULLY use a ladle to scoop out some hot water and add to lentil mixture. Keep adding until there is some spare liquid, enough to seem like a gravy. (You can also just dissolve 1/2 tsp corn starch in hot water instead.)
4. Preheat oven to 400.
5. When potatoes are done, drain well. Return to pot and immediately add margarine and soymilk. When the margarine melts, mash until there are no more lumps - if it seems dry, add splashes of soymilk and mix until you get the texture you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour lentil mixture into deep 2.5 quart casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes. Use a fork to draw lines in the top and dot with margarine (optional).
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the potatoes start to brown.
Strawberry Cobbler! Except I only had 6 cups of fresh strawberries (sliced) so I added 2 cups of frozen blueberries from last season. Oh, and went light on the sugar in the topping. I used a mystery flour (thanks Joni) so the topping looks different than the ones on the website.
Next up:
Olive Lentil burgers as we have olives, lentils and mushrooms to use up.
