Toasty Roasty Food Blog

A twist on the classic comfort food.

Starting this blog with a twist on a classic. So twisted it is, it barely resembles the original inspiration dish. I am sure recipes similar to this exist out there, however, this recipe was the brainchild of ingredients I had at hand one day after work. The name however, I cannot claim as my own creation. This dish was one of the first things I made for my partner and he coined the term which has since stuck. As such, this dish holds a special place in my heart. It is a great dinner for two on its own or could be served with other vegetable side dishes.

If you can let go of your idea of what a shepherds pie should be, I think anyone can enjoy this comforting sweet-and-savoury dinner.

Effort: 3/5. It takes some chopping and but uses simple techniques.

• Ingredients:
• 1 white onion (small to medium sized)
• 500g mushrooms (brown button mushrooms is best, white will also do)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 20ml (1.5 tbsp) of balsamic vinegar
• 3 – 4 tbsp of soya sauce or tamari
• 30ml of red wine (if you have it)
• 1 tbsp of dried or fresh thyme
• Ground black pepper
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• A knob of butter, vegan butter or some olive oil
• 1 tsp of cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• Salt
• 30 – 50g of breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top (optional)
• Vegetable oil for greasing

Method:

1. Select an appropriate baking dish for a shepherd’s pie. I normally use a long loaf tin that is 30cm x 12cm x 7cm. I have also used a wider glass oven dish that is 26cm x 17cm x 6cm. Then grease it lightly with a neutral vegetable oil. 
2. Chop the sweet potatoes into cubes. I usually leave most of the skins on but remove the tough or gnarly bits. If you don’t like the skins feel free to remove them.
3. Put the cubes in a large pot of cold water with a half teaspoon of salt and put on high heat for 20 minutes. They should be cooked starting in cold water and brought to the boil. Don’t start them in boiling water—it throws off the texture. 
4. Slice the mushrooms as the potatoes come to a boil. I usually slice them about 1cm thick, but I like a slightly chunky mushroom. Slice them thinly if you prefer.
5. Dice the onion finely and slice the cloves of garlic. 
6. In a pan starting on high heat, put in the sliced mushrooms. If they are layered on top of each other that is fine. Leave them on high heat without any oil for 5 minutes and the water will start to be released on its own. A little browning of the mushrooms will also start. 
7. When you have the mushrooms cooking in their own liquid, add a tablespoon of olive oil with the onion and garlic. Gently stir them all together and let them cook down for 5-8 minutes on a medium heat until the onions and garlic soften. 
8. Add in the soya sauce, balsamic vinegar, thyme and pepper. Bring the heat down to low and let the mixture simmer into a rich gravy.
9. This next step is important – taste and adjust. Depending on your brand of soya sauce and balsamic vinegar, the mixture may need some adjustment. If the flavour is too sour, you can add a little brown sugar. If the flavour is too umami forward, add a little vinegar for acidity. If you want an even herbier flavour, add more herbs and pepper. Remember that the rich flavours will be mixed with the sweetness and creaminess of the potatoes. So you want a rich, deep flavour to develop. 
10. When the potatoes are fully cooked, strain them and put them back into the pot with the heat turned off. Mash them gently with a masher or even a wooden spoon. Add the butter or olive oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Taste and adjust if you think it needs more seasoning. 
11. Take the mushroom sauce off the heat once you feel you’ve developed enough flavour. The sauce should be slightly loose; it will thicken as it bakes. 
12. Pour the mushroom sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and then gently spread the sweet potato mixture over the top. Spread this as evenly as possible so that the mushroom sauce is covered. Sprinkle the optional bread crumbs on top if desired
13. Place in the oven at 180 degrees celsius for 20 minutes – 30 minutes. Leave to rest for 5 minutes when you take it out. 
14. Serve as your whole dinner or with other veggie sides to bulk it up. 

Add ins or substitutions:

• Walnuts: To add more protein and fibre, blend up a handful of walnuts to add to the mushroom base. The nuts will soak up some liquid so make sure to adjust for that. 
• Honey & miso butter: To make the dish more rich and playing to the sweet and savoury flavours, you can melt a knob of butter with a tablespoon of miso paste and a tablespoon of honey. Drizzle this delicious sweet and savoury butter over the top of the potatoes.
• More veg: To make it more like the classic shepherd’s pie, add in frozen peas and diced carrot to the mushroom base.