Ingredients

450g/1lb unpeeled potatoes
15ml/1 tbsp olive oil
40g/1½oz/3 tbsp butter
40g/1½oz/⅓ cup plain wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour
300ml/½ pint/1¼ cups passata (bottled strained tomatoes)
150ml/¼ pint/⅔ cup unsweetened apple juice
60ml/4 tbsp each light soft brown sugar, tomato ketchup, dry sherry, cider vinegar and light soy sauce 400g/14oz can butter beans
400g/14oz can flageolet or cannellini beans
400g/14oz can chickpeas
175g/6oz/1 cup green beans, chopped and blanched
225g/8oz/1 cup shallots, sliced and blanched
225g/8oz/3 cups mushrooms, sliced
15ml/1 tbsp each chopped fresh thyme and marjoram
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sprigs of fresh herbs, to garnish

Details

Serves: 6

 

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/ Gas 6. Thinly slice the potatoes and par-boil them for 4 minutes. Drain thoroughly, then toss them in the oil so they are lightly coated. Set aside.

 

2. Place the butter, flour, passata, apple juice, sugar, ketchup, sherry, vinegar and soy sauce in a pan. Heat gently, whisking continuously, until the sauce comes to the boil and thickens. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

 

3. Rinse and drain the beans and chickpeas and add to the sauce with all the remaining ingredients, except the herb garnish. Stir well to mix all the ingredients thoroughly. Taste the mixture and add a little salt with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

 

4. Spoon the bean mixture into a casserole.

 

5. Arrange the potato slices over the top, overlapping them slightly so that they completely cover the bean mixture.

 

6. Cover the casserole with foil and bake for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are cooked and tender. Remove the foil for the last 20 minutes of the cooking time, to lightly brown the potatoes. Serve garnished with fresh herb sprigs.

 

COOK’S TIP:- You can vary the proportions of beans used in this recipe, depending on what ingredients you have in your store cupboard.

Energy 427Kcal/1805kj; Protein 17.7g; Carbohydrate 66.8g, of which sugars 22.4g; Fat 10.6g, of which saturates 4.2g; Cholesterol 14mg; Calcium 101mg; Fibre 12g; Sodium 1750mg