Curried lentil shepherd's pie

Warm, simple and so very comforting - who doesn’t crave a good hearty pie every so often? The flavour is even better a day or so after making the pie, so it’s a great meal to cook up on the weekend to keep you going on busy weeknights.

Credit: Savannah van der Niet

• serves

  8

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) starchy potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-cm (¾-inch) cubes
• 700 g (1 lb 9 oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-cm (¾-inch) cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 400 ml (14 fl oz) tin coconut milk
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 300 g (10½ oz) mushrooms, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (use a vegan version to make this recipe vegan)
• 3 400 g (14 oz) tins brown lentils
• 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• 300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) frozen peas
• ½ bunch dill, chopped
• fresh herbs, black sesame seeds or
• crispy fried onions, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the potato and sweet potato cubes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender. Drain off the water. Add half the olive oil to the pan, along with one-third of the coconut milk and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. Mash the mixture until smooth, then set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrots and celery, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Once the vegetables are browning and tender, add the mushrooms, garlic, mustard seeds and curry powder. Cook, stirring often, for another 5–10 minutes.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lentils (including the liquid in the tins), tomatoes and remaining coconut milk.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10–15 minutes, or until thick and aromatic. Turn off the heat, then add the peas and dill and mix to combine.
4. Pour the lentil mixture into a large baking dish. Spoon the sweet potato mixture over the top and use a spatula to spread it almost to the edges.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the topping is golden. Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs, sesame seeds or crispy fried onions if desired.

 

Recipe and images from The Shared Table by Clare Scrine, Smith Street Books, RRP $39.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.