Serves 4-5
This Chestnut & Mushroom Potato pie can be made both healthily and in an indulgent way depending on your health goals & whether you are celebrating with loved ones. Whichever way you make it, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.
If you want to make this more indulgent, swap out the potato topping for a ready-made puff pastry. You don’t need to cover the dish with foil in the oven if using puff pastry and you can serve the mash on the side instead.
Most puff pastry is accidentally vegan but do check the labels. You can also add vegan cream to the mushroom and chestnut mixture and the potato mash if you like instead of plant milk if making this
dish richer. This pie has an umami flavour due to the 2 types of mushrooms which means you won’t miss meat!
I bought ready cooked chestnuts which cut out the cooking time for this dish. The gravy is made all in one pan and can be served over any non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, sprouts, carrots, or parsnips to accompany the pie.
The pie tastes better the next day so try and make it ahead of time and refrigerate it.
Ingredients
For the Pie Filling
4 cloves garlic crushed.
1 cup plant-based milk
720g sliced chestnut mushrooms.
180 grams cooked chestnuts cut finely.
2 leeks diced finely.
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp miso paste
1 tablespoon of tamari/reduced salt soya sauce
1 low sodium vegetable stock cube
4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons wholemeal or gluten free flour
5 dried shitake mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
400g tin of brown or green lentils drained and washed and warmed in a microwave for 3 minutes.
For the Mash
3 medium potatoes
¼ cup plant milk
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Chilli flakes to taste (optional)
3 tbsps wholewheat breadcrumbs (optional)
Method
In a measuring jug, measure out 500ml of boiling water and add the stock cube and dried porcini mushrooms and stir. (The mushrooms will rehydrate in the boiling water in about 10 minutes)
Heat a large nonstick casserole dish and add the leeks and cook until brown. Add splashes of water to prevent sticking or you can use a few sprays of extra virgin olive oil.
Take the leaves of rosemary and thyme off the stalks and add the leaves to the pan and stir for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and allow them to cook down for 2-3 minutes before adding the chestnuts, lentils, and garlic.
Cook the mixture down until all the water is released from the mushrooms and evaporates.
At this stage, add the flour and stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add the milk and nutritional yeast and cook for 2 minutes.
Take the rehydrated porcini mushrooms out of the stock jug and cut up very finely on a chopping board.
Add the chopped porcini mushrooms to the casserole dish and then the stock, tamari and miso paste.
Put the lid on the casserole dish and allow to cook for at least 15 minutes on low heat.
Meanwhile, peel and cut the potatoes into large chunks and either steam them or boil them until soft.
Drain the potatoes if you have boiled them and add the potatoes to a large pan with the plant milk, mustard, and season to taste and mash with a potato masher until a smooth mash is formed.
Uncover the casserole dish and taste the mushroom mixture and adjust seasoning to taste.
Get a large heatproof bowl and place a large colander over it.
Take the mushroom mixture off the heat and strain it through the colander, separating the “gravy” from the pie filling.
Add the pie filling of mushrooms, leeks, and chestnuts back into the casserole dish and add half the “gravy” back into this mixture and stir thorough. Adjust the seasoning to taste if needed.
Set aside the other half of the gravy to have over the “pie” and accompanying vegetables.
Tip the mushroom mixture into a large oven proof baking/lasagna dish.
Top the pie with the mash and spread evenly over the top.
Sprinkle the top of the pie with wholewheat breadcrumbs if you like.
If cooking this pie straight away, then preheat your oven to 200C and cook for 10 minutes until the top is golden. However, if you cook this pie ahead of time and allow it to cool, preheat your oven to 200C but cover the dish with baking paper and then foil and cook for 15 minutes covered and then uncovered for 15 minutes or until the pie is warmed through and the top is lightly browned.
Serve and enjoy and described above with the extra gravy on top!