Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

We made this up using a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. We basically just substituted the meat with soy curls. At the end, we fried some additional minced garlic in olive oil and drizzled on top.

Ingredients

• 2 cups soy curls
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper
• 1 to 2 tsp serrano pepper powder
• 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp flax seed
• 3 tbsp water
• 8 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp Madeira or ruby port
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. Toss soy curls with 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium saucepan; add water to just cover and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are soft and a paring knife inserted into a potato meets no resistance, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to saucepan. Return saucepan to low heat and cook, shaking pot occasionally, until any surface moisture has evaporated, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and mash potatoes well. Whisk together almond milk and flax seed mixture (flax seed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes) in a small bowl, then stir into potatoes. Stir in scallion greens and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a broiler-safe 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just starting to soften and dark bits form on the bottom of the skillet, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic; cook until bottom of skillet is dark brown, about 2 minutes. Add Madeira and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaf, and carrots; bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, add soy curls to broth, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until soy curls are cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway through. Stir cornstarch and remaining 2 teaspoons water together in a bowl. Stir cornstarch mixture into filling and continue to simmer for 30 seconds. Remove thyme and bay leaf. Season with salt, pepper, and serrano pepper to taste.
4. Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place mashed potatoes in a large zipper-lock bag and snip off one corner to create a 1-inch opening. Pipe potatoes in an even layer over filling, making sure to cover the entire surface. Smooth potatoes with the back of a spoon, then use the tines of a fork to make ridges over the surface. Place skillet on a rimmed baking sheet and broil until potatoes are golden brown and crusty and filling is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.