Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

This is the kind of vegetarian meal you can make your family and your husband will be asking for seconds before he realizes there isn't any meat in it! It is a little bit time consuming the first time you make it, but so worth your while! It gets faster to make every time I make it. Now when I am going to make it I double everything for the potatoes and stuffing and stick the extra 9x13 pan in the freezer. It doesn't take any more time and you have a fast delicious meal another night. My newlywed sister makes a single batch and puts it in two 8x8 pans, freezing one since there are just two of them.

Start with the potatoes:
6-10 potatoes (depends on type you're using- 6 russet or 10 red)
1 stalk celery with leaves
1 bay leaf
1 large clove garlic
3 Tb. butter
1/4 C. raw or heavy cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground pepper

Peel potatoes and place in large pot of cold water. Add celery, bay leaf, and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

While the potatoes are cooking prepare the stuffing:
1/2 C. butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped (white suggested)
1 C. celery, finely chopped (I often do 1/2 C. celery, 1/2 carrot)
1/4 C. scallions, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped (if I don't have one, I skip it)
8 cups whole-grain bread cubes (cut 1/2 inch), stale or slightly toasted (I love sourdough)
2 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. celery seed (I've skipped this before too)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 Tb. fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp. or cube vegetable bouillon
2 C. boiling water

This is the meal when you really want to bust out your food chopper or food processor to save time. In a large heavy sauce pan, melt butter. Add onion, shallot, celery, and scallions. Saute until vegetables begin to soften. Add bread cubes and seasonings. Mix well. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Add to stuffing and mix well. Steam covered, over very low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes. **I choose not to steam mine, because I like my stuffing crispier. I cut the water down to 1 cup, dissolve the bouillon, mix it in well and put it right in my 9x13 pan.

Prepare mashed potatoes. In a small skillet (or your microwave), melt butter and add cream. Heat until hot, but do not boil. Remove bay leaf and garlic, and place in food processor. Remove celery if mashing by hand or with beaters. Add butter-cream mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste and whip thoroughly. **Sometimes I just throw the butter and cream in cold.

Put stuffing in pan and top with mashed potatoes. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes have formed a golden crust.

While the pie is baking make the gravy:
2 Tb. butter
1 shallot, minced (or substitute more scallions)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I use my egg slicer)
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
1 1/2 C. water
1 tsp. or cube bouillon
2-4 Tb. raw or heavy cream
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

In the pan you made the stuffing, melt 2 Tb. butter. Add shallot and mushrooms and saute until mushrooms are soft and have released a dark brown juice. Remove mushrooms from pan with slotted spoon. Remove juice and reserve. In the pan melt 2 Tb. butter. Add flour and stir with whisk to combine. Add mushroom liquid and continue stirring as gravy thickens. Slowly add water, stirring continually, and add bouillon and dissolve. Add cream, salt, and garlic. At this point mushrooms may be added to gravy or served on the side.