Shepherd's Pie

What's more hearty and yummy than a baked, layered, Shepherd's pie? Nothing. Meatless it may seem less Shepherd-ish and more Garden-ish...so maybe I'll start calling it my Garden Pie...nah, I bet I could get some Shepherd's to eat this.

This takes about an hour and a half, but most of that is boiling potatoes and baking the finished product in the oven, so plan ahead enough to get it done but don't let that prep time scare you off. Serves 6 to 8 - perfect for a dinner party with a bottle of red and a nice salad. Inspired by and stolen from my beautiful cousin Laurie...who never complains about cooking vegan just for me:)

You will need (assume all ingredients I list all of the time are vegan, b/c they are):
2 medium sweet potatoes
3 medium yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup half n' half or soy milk
2 T margarine
1 bag Boca vegan crumbles
1 T dijon mustard
1 c veggie stock
1/2 c white wine
1-2 c carrots
1 can of peas (or bag of frozen peas)
1 c corn
2 cloves smashed garlic
2 t chopped thyme
1 t chopped rosemary
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch of allspice
pinch of nutmeg
course salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.

Peel, dice, and boil yukon potatoes in a large pot of water with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent (about 30 minutes). Gently mash by hand in large bowl with margarine, soy milk, nutmeg, salt, and pepper (adjust seasonings to taste).

Peel, dice, and boil sweet potatoes in a separate pot until soft (drain and set aside to be added to filling for later).

While your potatoes are boiling you can put together the filling:
In a large skillet over medium heat cook the carrots and the corn with the soy crumbles in a splash of evoo or another t of margarine. Add garlic and cinnamon to the mixture after about 3 minutes and sautee for another 5 minutes.

Add the white wine to deglaze your pan, stir for 2 minutes and then add the mustard, thyme, rosemary, and veggie stock. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to simmer, season with additional salt and pepper if desired and put a cover on. Simmer while covered for 10-20 minutes (watch the softness of the veggies). Remove from heat and add peas and sweet potatoes (and corn or carrots if they were canned and not fresh).

Spread filling in a medium sized glass baking dish, spoon yukonpotato mixture on top and spread with spatula to cover filling mixture. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes (until top is golden brown).