recipe: mushroom, lentil, and sweet potato shepherd's pie (from thekitchn)

I have never considered myself to be a professional anything.  I am a drifter that moves from interest to interest, never becoming proficient in one thing.  I changed my major, like, four times; I have learned how to knit about twelve times; I have started, and abandoned, several blogs.  But one thing that has been a mainstay, now that I have gotten more life experience (meaning, I'm older), is being in the kitchen.  cooking and baking, and learning about the how and why of them is trumping that desire to move on.  and as an extension of all that, too, the hobby of brewing (and subsequently drinking homemade/craft brews).

I have had a lot of life changes in the past year and, aside from some very amazing friends, cooking and baking has been the one constant in a life turned upside down.  researching recipes, working with new ingredients, and just the act of cooking itself have provided an outlet for me.  I look forward to the weekends when I can spend some quality time in my kitchen.

and now, without further ado... my first blogged recipe!

when I saw this on pinterest, I knew I had to try it.  I've been on a sweet potato kick lately, and have been looking for some alternative recipes to meat to integrate more into my weekly meals.  not to mention, now that I'm cooking for one, I want to make more tasty recipes that I can reheat and/or freeze rather than cooking every single night.

this recipe was very easy follow, as are many recipes from thekitchn.

you start off with roasting the sweet potatoes.  it brings out so much flavor, and the longer you roast them, the sweeter they will be, thusly reducing the need to add anything to them, like butter or sugar.  this step can be done a couple of days ahead of time, too, but I found it was just as easy to throw them in the oven in the morning while I did other things throughout the day.

Roasting sweet potatoes

next up is the filling.  the first part of this is cooking the lentils and steel cut oats.  while a typical filling might include a roux, the oats act as the thickening agent here.  here's how you can make this a gluten-free meal, too, provided you use gluten-free oats, of course.

oops.  my mix blorted all over the pot!
be sure to *not* cover the pot completely
to prevent messes like this...

*ahem* ok, let's just pretend that little boil-over didn't happen... live and learn, right?!  so once your mess is cleaned up, then you strain the mixture leaving just the cooked oats and lentils.  this was a somewhat messy step because the liquid does thicken up a lot, so be sure to give a little extra time to allow the oat-y sludge to drain.  now, while the oats were not boiling over, the veggies were getting cut up.  now, please note, that there are a lot of recipes and/or websites and/or whatever that say "don't wash your mushrooms!".  well... as pointed out by alton brown, when I went to go see his incredible edible tour, mushrooms are grown in the ground... but that's *probably* not dirt that you are brushing off your fungi.  use your imagination... and then rinse them off.  because manure is not a flavor that should be in any meal.  and moving on...


mmm... veggies.  totally looks healthy, right!

once the veggies have heated through, time to add all the other stuff: lentil/oat mixture, veggie stock, red wine, tomato paste, and soy sauce (note: soy sauce isn't gluten-free!).  mix this all together and let it simmer for a few minutes.

this is a good time to taste test the wine you're adding...
don't cook with wine you wouldn't drink!

once that has all thickened up, add it to a 9x13 baking dish and set aside.  now the sweet potatoes would have cooled, allowing the skins to be easily removed.  put them in a mixing bowl and mash away!  nothing even needs to be added to them; we're not making "mashed potatoes" here.  once those have been pretty well mashed, layer them on top of the mixture in the baking dish.  my potato layer was pretty thick, actually, but, then again, so was my lentil mushroom layer.  that was one of the great things about this recipe.  far too often, shepherd's pie ends up primarily potato and not enough of that meaty, earthy goodness.  but here, there is a much better balance, even a focus on the filling rather than the potato topping.  huzzah!

dollop the potato down and spread across the pan
over the lentil mushroom mixture. the back of a spoon is great,
or an offset spatula also works.

the recipe calls for baking this at 350* F for about half an hour (or until bubbly).  mine took longer than that, so just be sure to watch your oven and use your best judgment.  be sure you've got some bubble action on the sides; that's probably your best indicator (sweet potato won't show the browning as well as regular potatoes would).  once finished, give it a rest for a few minutes (oh the number of times I've burned the roof of my mouth when overzealous about dinner...) and then carve out a slice.  I was able to make eight servings with mine because it was pretty thick and hearty; four servings for the fridge and four for the freezer.  perfect!

heats up so well for leftovers!

overall, this is a filling recipe that wasn't as difficult or intimidating as one might think.  you can make it ahead of time.  it freezes/reheats well.  and for the adventurous, the mushroom lentil mixture definitely lends itself well to some tweaking with the seasonings; I might try a little cumin next time instead of the paprika.  so when you're in the mood for some comfort food but want to keep it meatless, reach for this recipe and you won't be disappointed!

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Lentil, Mushroom & Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

(unadapted recipe from thekitchn)

Makes 6 servings

5 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
3/4 cup dry steel cut oats
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, divided
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 400*F. Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.

In a medium pot, combine the lentils, oats, bay leaf and salt with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until lentils are soft but not mushy, stirring occasionally to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Discard bay leaf and drain mixture into a colander or sieve.

While the lentils and oats are cooking, finely chop half of the mushrooms and set aside. Cut the remaining mushrooms into quarters. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the quartered mushrooms and a pinch of salt and cook until browned and soft. Add the chopped mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent. Lower heat to medium and add the lentil and oat mixture, followed by the vegetable stock, wine, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika, and parsley. Taste and add salt if needed. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add a few grinds of black pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel sweet potatoes with your hands and place in a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash them into a smooth paste and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. (For thicker layers, use a 9x9-inch pan.) Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling at the edges.

Additional Notes:

• Both the filling and the roasted sweet potatoes can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days before assembling and baking.
• This recipe freezes well; after assembling, cover and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake uncovered at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until filling is bubbling at the edges.
• Leftover mashed potatoes can be used in place of the sweet potatoes.
• Use tamari in place of soy sauce and double-check that you are using gluten-free oats if serving this to gluten-free guests.