We love this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019221-vegetarian-shepherds-pie?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Of the many plant-forward / vegetarian shepherdess pie recipes we have made, this version is our favorite. It is well-balanced and satisfying.
Our modifications: first, for the lentils we used 2 cups Better Than Bouillon chicken broth (omitting additional salt) and later for the filling 1.5 cups chicken broth instead of vegetable broth. So although this recipe could be vegetarian, our version was plant-forward. We also used standard green lentils, which were delicious and kept their shape (French Puy lentils weren’t available). We prepared the lentils and then the mushroom / leek mixture in our Williams Sonoma ultimate pan (see Note).
Second, for the mushrooms we used a combination of cremini and shiitake mushrooms (trimmed and cut into 1/4″ slices). Third, instead of the parmesan mashed potato topping in this NYT recipe, we made our tried and true classic mashed potato recipe: https://piglettedc.wordpress.com/2022/08/15/chef-johns-classic-mashed-potatoes/ This time, we used one large russet (peeled and cut into 4) and four medium-small Yukons (peeled and halved), for total potato equivalent to about 3 russets, or 2.5 lb. We kept our unsalted butter to 3 Tbsp and 1/3 cup low-fat milk (heated).
Finally, we prefer our cottage pie in a rectangle, so we used a 3-quart glass baking dish, which we lightly oiled before folding in the lentil mushroom filling and then icing with the mashed potato topping. (Dec. 2022)
Note: We found the lentils were able to cook evenly and maintain their shape in the Williams -Sonoma Ultimate pan. We also found the pan useful for preparing the rest of the filling.
Cooking Adventures 