This is a mod of a NY Times recipe that Nikki and I made with Mila. It is so tasty and a must try. Start making it today!
Ingredients:
Makes 9×13 pan, 6-8 servings, Cook time: 90 minutes
Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 leek
2 cloves garlic
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered or 1 tomato diced
2 small parsnips, small dice
2 small/medium carrots, small dice
½ cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
½ cup peas (optional)
1 cup diced cremini or shiitake mushrooms (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tsp porcini or shiitake mushroom powder
1.25 cups dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
4- 4.5 cups of veggie broth
2 tbsp all purpose flour
Salt/pepper
Topping:
3lb yellow/butter/Yukon gold potatoes
½ cup (1 stick) good quality butter
3 tbsp heavy cream (or milk/half and half)
¼ cup goat cheese or sour cream
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Salt/pepper
Directions
1. Prep the veggies. Clean and trim leek. Cut light green and white portion only lengthwise and then into thin half-moon shapes. Mince the garlic and combine the two in a small bowl. Place chopped tomatoes with small dice parsnip and carrots in a separate bowl. If using mushrooms, add to that bowl. Rinse peas and corn and keep in a third bowl.
2. Cook Potatoes: Peel and cut potatoes in halves if smaller or quarters if larger. In a large pot (4-5 qt), place all potatoes, 1tbsp salt, and water to cover. Cover to bring to boil on high, then uncover and cook on med-high 25-30 minutes until very soft and knife cuts through with little resistance.
3. Saute: While potatoes are cooking, place oil and butter together in dutch oven on medium heat until warm/melted, add leeks and garlic. Saute until translucent and just starting to color, about 5 minutes. Add parsnips, carrots, tomatoes and mushrooms. Cook until vegetables have softened and just starting to get tender, another 5-7 minutes. Add rosemary, thyme, tomato paste and porcini powder, cook 1-2 minutes until well incorporated and raw smell is gone.
4. Finish filling: Add lentils and 4 cups of broth to veggies, stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, covered 25-30 minutes, checking periodically for doneness starting at 20min. If too dry, can add additional ½-1 cup broth. While lentils are cooking, preheat oven to 425F (convection setting if you have it). Once lentils are al-dente, uncover and cook away most of the excess moisture on high heat. Add peas and corn. Sprinkle flour over lentils and mix in to combine. Cook 2 more minutes until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste. Final lentils should be consistency of a thick chili.
5. Finish topping: Once potatoes are cooked, drain and allow steam to release for 3-4 minutes. Bring back to pot and add in 1 stick of butter, cut into pieces, heavy cream, ½ cup Parmesan cheese, goat cheese, salt and a good grind of pepper. Mash until combined, careful not to over mash or potatoes will become gummy.
6. In a 9 x 13 pan, add lentils and spread out into even layer. Add dollops of mashed potatoes on top and spread out in even layer. Sprinkle remainder of Parmesan on top. Bake for 20 minutes, turning oven to broil for the last 3 min so top is golden brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes at room temp before serving.