Root Mash with Wine Braised Shallots
This is Yotam Ottolenghi's recipe for Root Mash with Wine Braised Shallots from his stunning cookbook, Plenty More. Serve as a tasty main course or side dish.
From the book
Plenty More
120 stunning recipes from Ottolenghi
Inspiring ideas for vegetarian cooking
Impressive puddings and desserts
Introduction
Root Mash with Wine Braised Shallots from Yotam Ottolenghi's book Plenty More is a stunning vegetarian main course dish.
Ingredients
| 80g | Puy lentils |
| ½ | large head of celeriac, peeled and cut into chunks (300g) |
| 2 | large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks (300g) |
| ½ | kabocha squash, or another type, peeled and cut into chunks (300g) |
| 2 | sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks (600g) |
| 70g | unsalted butter, diced |
| 2 tbsp | maple syrup |
| 1½ tsp | ground cumin |
| salt and black pepper | |
| For the braised shallots: | |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 600g | shallots, peeled |
| 400ml | red wine |
| 200ml | vegetable stock |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 1 tsp | whole black peppercorns |
| 4 | thyme sprigs |
| 1 tbsp | caster sugar |
| 30g | unsalted butter |
Method
Start with the shallots. Pour the oil into a medium pan and place on a high heat. Add the shallots and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until coloured all over. Add the wine, stock, bay, peppercorns, thyme, sugar and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 1 hour. Remove the lid, increase the heat and boil for about 8 minutes, until the remaining liquid is reduced by half. Use a slotted spoon to remove the shallots from the pan and keep them somewhere warm. Stir the butter into the sauce and set aside until ready to use.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the lentils, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 25 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
For the mash, half fill a medium pan with water and bring to the boil. Add the celeriac and carrot and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the squash and sweet potato and cook for a further 10–15 minutes, until all the vegetables are cooked.
Drain the vegetables, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and mash well with a potato masher. Add the butter, maple syrup, cumin, cooked lentils, 1 teaspoon of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix well and then divide the warm mash between individual plates. Top with the shallots, spoon over the sauce and serve at once.
