Vegan shepherd's pie

By Shahzadi Devje

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Ingredients

9 potatoes Goldenheart, washed, peeled and cut into halves and quarters depending on size
12-1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
1/2 teaspoon onion seeds
1 tablespoon garlic crushed
2 inch ginger peeled, finely chopped
2 onions peeled and cut into medium slices
1 cup tomato sauce coulis-style
1 red bell pepper washed and chopped into small pieces
2 teaspoons dried fenugreek
1 teaspoon chilli powder red, add to taste
1-1/2 cups green or brown lentils uncooked. You could use canned
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, juice fresh
1 teaspoon black pepper coarse
1 teaspoon dried parsley or another dried herb of your choice

Directions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large saucepan, add potatoes and 10 cups of water. Bring to boil on high heat and cook for 20 minutes over medium-high heat or until cooked through.
While the potatoes are cooking, start to prep the lentils filling. Begin by gathering all the ingredients to save time.
In a cast iron or another type of non-stick cooking pot, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat.
Add the onion seeds, garlic and ginger and fry until golden.
Stir in the onions, cover and cook for two to three minutes on low heat to soften the onions. This technique helps to use less oil.
Pour in the tomato coulis along with the chopped peppers, dried fenugreek and red chilli powder. Feel free to go easy with the chilli to suit your taste preferences. Stir well.
Follow with the drained uncooked lentils and 2.5 cups of water. Stir, bring to boil over high heat and cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium-low heat. If you're using cooked lentils (canned), you don't need to boil and cook them and will need to reduce the amount of water.
Add one teaspoon of salt and juice of half a lemon and stir. You should end up with a thick (not dry) consistency. Transfer to a 12 X 8-inch rectangular baking dish or pan.
Right about now, the potatoes should be done. Drain and transfer to a large container.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, one teaspoon of pepper and one teaspoon of parsley flakes to brings flavour to the potatoes without the need for added fat and more salt. Mash the potatoes thoroughly.
Now spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the filling. I like to do this in small batches to keep the two layers intact. Brush one tablespoon of oil all over the potato topping.
Bake for ten minutes and broil about one to two minutes until the top is golden. You don't want to overdo this as the potatoes will dry out. Remove from oven and cool for five to ten minutes before serving. I like to garnish with more parsley flakes - just because!

Notes:

Prepare the potatoes first and send them to boil. That way, while they cook, you can get on with cooking the lentils
Choose potatoes that are similar in size (medium), so they cook evenly
Any yellow flesh potatoes will work
Add flavour to the potatoes by using dried parsley and black pepper with a dash of salt. This means no need for additional fat or excessive salt
Cover to cook the lentils to reduce cooking time
Don't skim on the spices. They add all the South Asian flavour and make this recipe Desi~licious!
If you wish, you can add fat to the potatoes - however, we prefer it this way.

Recipe from: https://shahzadidevje.com/wprm_print/9315