Mushroom Potpie

Mushroom Potpie (serves 2)

This little potpie is delicious & comforting - great for a chilly rainy day! 

It comes together quite quickly, and freezes & reheats beautifully - I like to keep one in the freezer for a super-busy day where I need to just flake out & let the meal fend for itself in the oven.  It's fortifying & restorative. Great served with a simple salad of baby greens & sliced green apple or steamed broccoli & sliced golden peppers.
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Filling:

• 25 largish mushrooms, cut in half crosswise then sliced (no stems)
• 1 leek, white part & some of the green, halved lengthwise then sliced thinly
• 1 onion, cut into half then sliced and halved again
• 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 tsp. butter
• 2/3 can 2% evaporated milk (reserve the rest for the topping)
• 1 cube chicken-style bouillon

Method:

Saute onion & leek in a little olive oil till a bit browned, add a bit more oil and the mushrooms, then sauté again till almost done.  Season with salt & pepper, turn heat down, cover, and cook gently to bring flavors out, stirring occasionally (takes about 15 min. altogether). 

Add butter; add flour when butter has melted, and stir throughout the mushroom mixture, cooking gently for a few minutes (2-3 min.).  Add half of the milk, let warm up for 30 seconds, then stir into the mushroom mixture.  Add remainder of milk, crumble in the bouillon cube, and continue to stir until thickened (2-3 minutes), adding more milk if necessary to make a thick gravy-like consistency.  Cover, remove from heat, and let stand a few minutes.

Topping:

• 3 medium potatoes
• ½ medium turnip
• 3 carrots or 1/2 cup baby carrots
• 1 medium parsnip
• Reserved 1/3 can 2% evaporated milk
• 1 tbsp. lite sour cream
• ½ cup grated cheese

Cut all vegetables into chunks (except baby carrots, if using).  Boil then simmer until soft (about 20-30 minutes).  Drain & mash with a bit of the remaining milk and the sour cream, add the cheese, season with salt & pepper, and add more of the milk if necessary.

Put mushroom mixture into lightly oiled 2 mini-loaf pans or individual casserole dishes, top with the root vegetable mixture, put a bit of butter on top with a fork, and bake at 375 for ½ hour.

To reheat from frozen: put directly into 375 oven and cook covered, for 40 minutes.  Uncover and cook a further 15 minutes.

Awesome!