cottage pie

a friend of ours started a st patty's day tradition way back in the day; every year he cooks up a traditional corned beef dinner and invites his buddy's over to celebrate with a few Irish lagers

as we all know life happens- this friend of ours found an amazing girl, fell in love and moved in

the tradition was set aside but not forgotten; i was just saying to Justin how i missed the traditional st patty's day dinner when i received a message from our friend - the dinner is back on this year

i cannot tell you how super excited i was  - i mean so excited that i committed to the dinner even before asking Justin if we had plans....well regardless, i had my plan -

i was heading to celebrate the holiday with or without him

this friend of ours is super sweet - he knows that we are vegan/vegetarian, the first thing he wanted to know is what he could cook for us. i know how much work he puts into the dinner so i volunteered to bring a few dishes to share. he loves to cook and explore different ways of cooking so i am sure he will have something fabulous for us all well.

one of my contribution's to the st patty's day potluck will be this very cottage pie

cottage pie is a traditional Irish dish made of lamb & potatoes;

in England it is made with beef and called Shepard's pie.

 let me share with you my version of cottage pie

lentils create the "meaty" texture along with portobellas

parsnips, carrots, red onion, kale & rosemary for taste & texture

and of course perfectly seasoned mashed potatoes top it off

all the ingredients - minus the potatoes are simmered in veggie broth with a bit of salt

once the lentils have softened, mini ramekins are filled and topped with mashed potatoes
then baked until the tips & edges of  the potato begin to turn golden brown

this was a dish that i needed to test before serving to a crowd, it needed Justin's final approvali wasn't sure what he would think; i thought the final dish was perfect...with the exception of the lentils being a bit al dente - but that is an easy fix, i simply adjusted the cooking times 

the smell was intoxicating; i simply love fresh rosemary

while making this dish i decided that rosemary is an absolute must in the garden this year

i was quite surprised when Justin gave two thumbs up, the dish was a winner - after 8 years you would think i would be able guess what his rating will be; nope, he surprises me every time

for the st patty's day potluck i plan on preparing this in a large baker or a crock pot

along with a side of Irish soda bread and we are on our way to a pretty tasty vegan dinner

Cottage Pie

makes 6 ramekins or 1 medium baker/casserole

you will need:

1 cup dried lentils - rinsed

2 tsp fresh rosemary woody stems removed - minced

1 medium carrot cut into rounds

1 large parsnip - large dice

1/2 cup red onion - medium dice

1 portobella sliced and cubed

1 cup kale - stem removed and torn

1 tsp olive or cooking oil

4 cups veggie broth

4 potatoes peeled & washed

1 tsp salt - divided (1/2 tsp for lentils & 1/2 tsp for potatoes)

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/4 vegan creamer or vegan milk

1 tbsp vegan butter

assembly

wash & prep all veggies

peel potatoes and boil until fork tender

while the potatoes are boiling, in a large saute pan fitted with a cover add lentils through olive oil - over medium/high heat saute until onion begins to soften and rosemary is fragrant - add veggie broth & cover. Reduce heat to low & simmer for 20 -25 minutes until lentils are soft.

Pre heat oven to 350*

Drain potatoes and mash to desired consistency adding in salt through butter

place 6 ramekins on a rimmed sheet pan if using

fill each ramekin to the top with the lentil mixture and cover with mashed potatoes

if using a baker - place lentil mixture in bake and top with mashed potatoes

bake in for 15 minutes or until the tips and edges of potatoes turn golden

remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes prior to serving - garnish with sprigs of rosemary if desired

enjoy!

Print this Recipe