“Damn you shallots! Why must you always make me cry?!” – Me
“Because they are the bastard cross between garlic and onions” – Diz
“You bastards! Stop making me cry!!” – Me
Since we are on the topic of bastards, here is my bastardized version of Bacon Mushroom Stout Pot Pies. The original recipe was vegan and had olives in it, but because Diz loves meat and because I hate olives, I tweaked the recipe slightly. The original recipe can be found here.
2 TBSP olive oil
2 shallots diced
1 leek (white part only) chopped
5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed + extra for garnish
2 heaping spoonfuls of minced garlic
1 TBSP tomato paste
3 cups mixed mushrooms (I used Portobello and white mushrooms) coarse dice
8 slices bacon cooked crisp
1 cup stout or other dark, heavy beer (Diz nearly had a heart attack when I got the bottle of Great Divide Brewing Oak Aged Yeti Espresso Stout…but I placated him by saying we could do a great beer pairing with the left overs)
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
1-2 small sweet potatoes, washed and thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 4 ramekins and set on a baking sheet.
Heat 2 TBSP olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until translucent. Add the leeks and all but a 1/2 tsp of the rosemary to the pot and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste to the pot. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms to the pot all at once. Cook mushrooms until tender and glistening, about 8-10 minutes, stirring often.
Pour the stout into the pot, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until liquid is reduced slightly. Add cooked crispy crumbled bacon. Remove from the heat. Season the mixture to taste.
Divide the mushroom mixture among 4 ramekins. Layer the sweet potato slices on top, overlapping the circles as you go. There should be 2 solid layers of sweet potatoes on top of the mushrooms. Brush the top of the sweet potato slices with the remaining oil, season with salt, pepper and remaining chopped rosemary. Bake pot pies for 30-35 minutes, or until mushroom mixture is bubbling and sweet potatoes are browned and lightly crispy on the edges. Enjoy!
Cheers!