Lancashire Hotpot

I ate lots of Lancashire hotpot as a child, which my mum made with lamb, so I created a vegan version, perfect for cold winter days.

2 large potatoes

1 large onion 

2 large carrots 

1 large leek

1 tsp rosemary

400 g can borlotti beans

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp cornflour 

25 g dried mushrooms

2 tsp Bisto gravy granules

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

Salt and pepper

Serves 2

Pre-heat the oven to 180°.   Put the mushrooms into a jug and cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 20 mins.  

Thinly slice the potatoes and leave in a bowl covered with water, so they do not turn brown.

Finely chop the onion, carrot and leek, put into a frying pan with the oil and rosemary and gently fry for 20 mins, until softened.

Put a double layer of kitchen roll in a sieve, drain the mushrooms reserving the liquid, then chop the mushrooms.

Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp of mushroom stock to a thin paste and add to the pan with the remaining stock, tomato puree, borlotti beans and their liquid.

Simmer the mixture until it has cooked down and thickened, add the Bisto granules with a little water and cook for a further 5 mins, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the mixture into an ovenproof dish and layer the potatoes on top, you can be artistic and create a neat pattern if you like, mine was a little haphazard and grind with black pepper.   You could dot vegan margarine on the potatoes at this stage, but Steven has to keep his fat intake low, so I decided not to.

Cover with tinfoil and cook for 50-60 mins, remove the tinfoil and test if the potatoes are cooked by piercing with a knife, if nearly done turn the oven up to 200° and return to the oven uncovered for another 15 mins.