INGREDIENTS
LENTIL FILLING:
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra
2 each yellow onions, peeled and chopped
2 each medium carrots chopped
1 pint mushroom (use your favorite)
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, minced
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, paste
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 ½ cups lentils, rinsed
1 ½ tablespoons sherry/balsamic vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon liquid smoke
5 cups vegetable stock, plus extra
POTATO MASH:
2 cups water
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
5 each Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
½ cup milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add all of the vegetable (if you have prepped all veg leave out potatoes) to the pot. Sauté until they are just starting to soften on the edges.
Add the herbs, seasoning and garlic to the pot and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir. Cook for about one minute. Add the lentils to the pot and stir. Then, add the sherry vinegar, soy, liquid smoke to the pot.
Scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Season everything with salt and pepper. Add the stock to the pot and stir once more. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and then cook until lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes. This should start to look like a stew, adjust liquid as needed. Transfer to a large oven-safe skillet or other baking dish. Set aside.
Make the potato mash. Pour the water into a large soup pot, add potatoes, and bring it up to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are al dente (not fully cooked). Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Add the butter, milk, garlic, nutritional yeast, and lots of salt and pepper. Using a hand masher, mash the cauliflower and potatoes until 50/50 lumpy and smooth. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Spread evenly across the lentil in the baking dish all the way to edges.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Drizzle the top of the mash with olive oil or butter and coarse salt flakes
Bake for 25 minutes, or until bubbly and potatoes are browned. You can broil the top for extra browning if you like. Garnish with fresh garlic chives, parsley and smoked sweet paprika.