I’m bringing on the British food today. Here is my vegan version of the classic Potato Hotpot. Mixed Bean Potato Hotpot!
Although born and bred British, I’m not patriotic when it comes to British food (or at all really). I will admit though, in my humble opinion you can’t beat a good cup of tea. In the British mind it solves everything. I can’t remember how many times when there was a crisis or important drama happening in the family (somebody’s had a baby, a loved one’s died, or there’s been an earthquake) and the first words uttered were: “Right. I’ll put the kettle on.”
Seriously! It happens all the time. Even when there was a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in Christchurch, with power and water out of action all over the city, people displaced and panicking – even then, British people were finding a way to sit down and make a cup of tea. My parents did it. Even I did it! It’s a disease… the tea disease.
I’m embarrassed to say… I even take a stash of teabags with me when I go travelling. Sad, but true! No matter where I’m going, I stuff as many as I can into a small, sealable plastic bag and stuff them in my luggage. I know, right?! God forbid this woman run out of tea! (To suspicious customs officers it honestly must look like I’m stashing drugs.) But you see, that way no matter where I am in the world, no matter how jetlagged and disoriented I feel, I can sit down, have a cup of tea and feel like myself again.
I’m not 100% sure why this is a thing. Perhaps it’s the British reserve and need for order. Or the whole stiff-upper-lip thing – keep calm and carry on and all that. Whatever the reason, once it’s bred into you it ain’t leaving.
The classic Potato Hotpot however, is a British dish that I do rather like (though I won’t be stashing it in my suitcase anytime soon). Hope you like this vegan version with mixed beans. It should suit a lot of other picky eaters out there too.
Mixed Bean Potato Hotpot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion sliced
- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 cup turnip/swede diced
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1/2 cup green peas
- 1 can mixed beans washed and drained
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp Marmite (or other yeast spread)
- handful fresh thyme
- handful fresh parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- handful baby spinach or kale
- 1 tsp potato starch
- 1 potato sliced thinly
- 1 sweet potato sliced thinly
- sunflower or rice bran oil for coating
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 200°C/390°F.
- In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add the crushed garlic with a pinch of salt and continue cooking for a further couple of minutes.
- Add the carrot, turnip or swede, mushrooms and green peas and sauté for about 5 or 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Add in the washed and drained mixed beans along with the coriander and cook for a further couple of mins.
- Add the vegetable stock to the pot, along with the Marmite, herbs and seasoning. Make sure the Marmite is dissolved and mixed in well. Cook for about 10 mins so that the flavours and herbs have a chance to come together.
- Stir in the baby spinach or kale. In a cup, dissolve the potato starch (you can also use corn starch if you prefer) with a tbsp of cold water – just enough that it will dissolve. Then add this to the mixture and stir continuously until it has thickened.
- Pour the mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish. Layer the slices of potato and sweet potato on top, so that they are slightly overlapping each other. (I like to use a mix of both potato and sweet potato for added nutritional value).
- Lightly coat the potato slices with sunflower or rice bran oil (just not olive oil). Rice bran oil spray is ideal for this. Season the top with salt and pepper, and then place in the oven to bake for about 30 mins, or until potatoes are cooked and lightly golden.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5 – 10 mins before serving.