Mushroom, potato and chestnut wreath

You will need a donut or loaf tin for this festive nut roast, made with lentils, aubergine, potatoes, chestnut mushrooms and plenty of fresh sage. It will make a beautiful Christmas centrepiece and a tasty vegetarian alternative to turkey.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 onion, finely chopped

1/2 an aubergine, chopped into small cubes

2-3 chestnut mushrooms, halved and sliced

100g red lentils

1 large garlic clove, crushed

500g white potatoes (Maris Piper or similar), peeled and chopped into small cubes

300ml vegetable stock

1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

50g cashew nuts

50g hazelnuts

50g whole cooked chestnuts

3 slices of white bread

60g cheddar cheese, grated

1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil plus extra to grease the tin

Method

1.     Finely fry the onion in olive oil until soft.

2.     Add the aubergine to the onion and fry for a further 2-3 minutes. 

3.     Add the mushrooms to the frying pan. Fry for a further 2 minutes then add the red lentils and garlic. Combine all the ingredients together. 

4.     Add the potato cubes to the pan along with the 300ml of boiling vegetable stock. Add the fresh chopped sage and turn the heat down low and allow to simmer until the stock has been absorbed. This should take 20-25 minutes. Stir regularly.

5.     Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

6.     Dry fry the cashew nuts and hazelnuts for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool then, along with the chestnuts, roughly chop. 

7.     Once the stock has been absorbed transfer the mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool.  

8.     Cut the crusts off the bread and blitz into breadcrumbs. 

9.     Once the mixture has cooled add the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, chopped nuts, finely chopped parsley and the beaten egg. Combine all the ingredients together and season. 

10.  Lightly oil the baking tin (either a donut tin or loaf tin) and transfer the mixture - making sure it’s packed down to the bottom. 

11.  Place the tin on a baking tray and cover with foil. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes remove the foil and cook for a further 20 minutes or until cooked through and golden.