Caramelised Carrot, Parsnip & Red Onion Pie, Served with Irish Champ (Vegetarian) - An Original Recipe

With the first snow of the season today here in Ireland, my stomach told me to feed it something hot and filling.  So I thought, what better than homemade pies and traditional Irish champ?  I also had my delivery of fresh organic vegetables this morning, and that always makes me eager to get as many of them in me as I can.  Oh how I love vegetables!!!

Champ - which is very simply mashed potatoes with scallions, butter and milk - is native to Northern Ireland, and is where I first tasted it several years ago.  Being from England I'd never heard of it before so thank goodness I found an Irishman to show me all the delicious and hearty specialties of this wonderful country.  Despite its simplicity, it really is an extra tasty way to enjoy the humble spud.

Potatoes are not only versatile but super nutritious.  They are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, copper, fibre, magnesium, and antioxidants.  They are also very important to Irish culture, and they even have a National Potato Day here to celebrate and appreciate this great vegetable.  

What you will need: (for 2 people)

3 large carrots

2 large parsnips

2 large red onions

1 bulb garlic

1 tblsp honey

Coconut oil (for roasting)

2 cups mixed beans*

1 tblsp red wine

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 medium potatoes (I prefer rooster, perfect for mashing)

4/5 scallions

Milk & butter (for the champ)

12oz fine wholewheat flour

6oz butter

4 tblsp (approx) cold water

* I always have my own stash of cooked-from-dried beans in little jars in the freezer, which is super handy if you do a lot of vegetarian cooking.  Please see my previous post on the easiest way to batch cook beans.  In this recipe I used a mixture of kidney beans, chickpeas, black turtle beans and pinto beans, but any type will work just as well as it's the texture of them that will give these pies their 'meatiness'.
 

Method:

Dice the carrots, parsnips, onions and garlic into small chunks

Put them all into a large roasting tray with about a tablespoon each of coconut oil and honey, and use your hands to ensure all the veg is coated well.  Pop into a hot oven at about 210 degrees Celcius for 20-30 minutes until the veg is almost charred at the edges, and has a slight 'chewiness' due to the caramelised honey 

Put the beans into a dish and half-mash them.  This gives the pies a lovely 'meaty' texture

Mix the beans with the veg, and add the wine, mustard, herbs and seasoning.  Mix well and set aside whilst you make the pastry.

In a large bowl add the butter to the flour, and using your fingertips rub the butter into the flour until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Gradually add the cold water, a little at a time, and mix with your hand until you have a firm dough

Divide the pastry dough in two, and roll each out to roughly the size of a dinner plate

Spoon half the pie mixture into the centre of the pastry, and fold the edges up around the mixture like a parcel

It won't look too neat at this point, but worry not, you can use water and your fingers to smooth the cracks over, and then it will look very neat

If you like you can use bits of left-over pastry and pastry cutters to fix a shape to the top of the pies.  Brush with egg for a lovely golden crust.  Pop them into the oven at 190 degrees Celcius for 30 minutes

Now your pies are cooking you need to prepare the champ.  Peel and wash the potatoes, dice into chunks and steam for 20-25 minutes until cooked (cooking time based on Roosters, others types can vary slightly)

Chop the scallions finely

When the potatoes are done, mash them, then add about 1 tblsp butter, a good splash of milk, and the scallions, and beat well with a fork until fluffy and creamy.  Now you have 'champ'.  Add salt & pepper if you like.

Serve with a side of vegetables if you want... I always like peas with my pies!  Yum yum.

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Many thanks.    
 

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