Mashed Potato Pie with Mushrooms & Leeks

Those of you well acquainted with my blog will known that the humble potato is basically my favourite food of all time. It’s so versatile – roast, baked, mashed, gratined – and equally delicious in all its forms. Also, it makes chips. Enough said. But you may also know that right behind the potato for me is the pie.

Just the word pie is one of those emotive words that I love to pop off my tongue. It conjures up memories of road trip pit stops, late night drunk munchies trips to Engen and Sunday lunches with my mom’s special chicken pie, which is unlike any I’ve ever tasted anywhere else. Before I went vegan, chicken and mushroom pies were my ultimate #foodgoals (now I have vegan ‘chicken’ pies from Peregrine that are just as tasty).

So put pies and potatoes together and I will race you to the final dish and elbow you in your face on the way. I mean, here’s a lovely recipe that combines the best of both worlds!

This is Mark’s brainchild and it’s based on this recipe for mushroom stuffed potato cakes which we’ve made a couple of times and talk about often. We made this on Sunday night and ate it while we drank red wine and the rain pelted down outside. It’s the perfect winter dish and you won’t even miss the meat, I promise you.

Mashed Potato Pie With Mushrooms & Leeks

Ingredients:

Pie ‘crust’ (it’s not very crusty, hence the quotation marks):

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and boiled til cooked through
• 1/4 cup plant milk of choice
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or vegan margarine (or butter)
• 2-3 tbsp dijon mustard
• Salt to taste

Pie filling:

• 250g mushrooms, quartered
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 leeks, chopped
• Garlic
• Chill (optional)
• Olive oil
• Salt, pepper, mixed dried herbs, paprika and other spices of choice to taste
• Splash of white wine
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1 tsp soya sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with cold water

Instructions: 

1. Mash cooked potatoes with other ingredients until smooth. Use a fork or potato masher rather than a blender so they have a little texture.
2. Spoon half the mash into a pie dish and smooth flat. Place this ‘crust’ in the oven and bake at 180 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown.
3. While that is cooking, fry the onion in a little olive until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding the mushrooms. Saute for 2 minutes and add the wine, coconut milk and all the spices. Cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the leeks. Cook the mixture for 5-10 minutes until slightly reduced and the flavour has developed. Add cornstarch to thicken and remove from heat.
4. Pour filling onto the baked bottom pie crust and spread evenly. Spoon the remaining mashed potatoes over the top and flatten.
5. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 15 mins or until the top is golden brown. Serve with a fresh side salad.