Root Mash with Wine Braised Shallots

🥘 Ingredients

• olive oil 2 tbsp
• shallots 600 g
• red wine 400 ml
• vegetable stock 200 ml
• bay leaves 2
• whole black peppercorns 1 tsp
• thyme sprigs 4
• caster sugar 1 tbsp
• salt
• unsalted butter 30 g
• Puy lentils 80 g
• celeriac ½ head
• carrots 2
• kabocha squash ½
• sweet potatoes 2
• unsalted butter 70 g
• maple syrup 2 tbsp
• ground cumin 1 ½ tsp

Braised shallots

1. 1

   Start with the shallots. Pour the olive 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 red wine , vegetable stock , bay leaves , whole black peppercorns , thyme sprigs , caster sugar and 3/4 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 unsalted butter into the sauce and set aside until ready to use.

Mash

1. 1

   Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the Puy lentils , reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 25 minutes , until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. 2

   For the mash, half fill a medium pan with water and bring to the boil. Add the celeriac and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes . Add the kabocha squash and sweet potatoes and cook for a further 10-15 minutes , until all the vegetables are cooked.
3. 3

   Drain the vegetables, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and mash well with a potato masher . Add the unsalted butter , maple syrup , ground 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.