Savoury Sweet Potato Pies

Savoury Sweet Potato Pies

• Ingredients
  • About 250g sweet potato, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • a block of puff pastry
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 stick celery, diced
  • a few sprigs of fresh thyme and 15-20 fresh sage leaves (or a mix of the two dried, about 3/4 tsp)
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tbsp flour
  • Approx 1/4 cup (60ml) soy milk
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • 50g vegan cheddar

• Directions/Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 200° C (400° F).
  2. Steam the sweet potato for 8-10 minutes, or until well done (you should be able to put a knife through with no resistance).
  3. Heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan. Slowly fry the onion and celery for 15 minutes, with a lid on, until lightly browned (a little burnt is okay). You may want to stir once or twice in the process. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for a further minutes before mixing in the vinegar.
  4. Once the vinegar has cooked down and the mixture is nearing dry again (a minute or two), add the flour and stir until evenly distrubuted through the pan. Slowly whisk in the soy milk until the flour is dissolved and the sauce thickens. Add the mustard and cheese, stirring to mix to a thick sauce. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  5. Roll your puff pastry to very thinly, perhaps 2-3mm, and cut several 5-6 inch rounds out. The recipe makes five or 6 pies, so start with ten rounds of pastry.
  6. To assemble, you can either mash the sweet potato and simply layer a few small pieces in the centre of a piece of pastry. Top with 2 tablespoons or so of the onion sauce. Brush the edges of the pastry with water and place a second round on top, pressing the sides down to seal. Flatten the pie slightly with the palm of your hand and press the edges with a fork.
  7. Place the pies, once assembled, on a lightly greased baking sheet, brushing with a bit of extra soy milk. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the pies are well browned with minimal burn.