Root Vegetables Please

Time is winding down at the farm.  The leaves are falling, there is a distinct chill in the air, and the days are getting shorter.  I panic a little when I think of what I will be cooking this winter (is it too soon to mention winter?) And when I think of not harvesting for 4 months my heart sinks a bit.  So tonight I wanted to honor what we have at the farm right now in season, and do what I do best……  Throw a bunch of awesome vegetables together, add a little cheese, add a little bacon and call it a meal!  Boy did I do just that, plus more.   This evening I made a root vegetable pie with bacon and cheese.  It was awesome. And for those of you out there who are vegetarians, this meal can totally work minus the bacon.

No, this is not pumpkin pie. This would be a root vegetable pie with bacon, cheese and a sweet potato “frosting”  SO good!

This afternoon I researched many root vegetable pies, pizzas, and casseroles. Ultimately, I settled on making a harvest pie.  This recipe is a combination of 3 different recipes I found online.  The main recipe I followed is from Emily of the FrontBurner blog.  However, her recipe is vegan, and this is not.

First stop……Hutchins Farm.

I gathered some beets, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onion and garlic.  (sounding good right?)

Then I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store. On my list were mushrooms and pre-made pie crust (don’t judge……I cannot bake to save my life and I was pressed for time this evening!!!!) However, I picked up this lovely crust and I feel quite good about my purchase.

This totally worked.  And for those bakers out there I will get my act together one of these days.  I hate to measure and somehow always end up with egg shells in my cookies! A baker I am not.

Alright, first thing is first.  I chopped up my root veggies and tossed them in some olive oil and sea salt.

I then roasted them in a 375 in the oven for 30 minutes.

While that was happening I peeled and cubed a giant sweet potato.  I combined olive oil, paprika, cumin and chili powder to the sweet potatoes.  I then placed them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven on a bottom rack beneath the other veggies being roasted.

Next up, sauteing up an onion, garlic and mushrooms.

I added about 1/3 of a cup of chicken broth to the onion/garlic/mushroom mixture.  I put the lid on the pan and let simmer until most of the moisture was evaporated. This tasted awesome!

While that was happening I grabbed another frying pan and fried up some bacon.  Yes, you heard me, BACON!

And while all this excitement was happening, I had to take a break and play with Henry.

And now it is time to take the roasted veggies out of the oven (not the sweet potatoes yet, they still have 10 more minutes) And while the sweet potatoes finish cooking I begin to fill my pie.

First up: Parmesan cheese

Next, my sauteed onion, garlic, and mushroom mixture

And time out……The sweet potatoes are ready.  I got them out of the oven to cool for a few minutes. Once they were semi cooled down I added some cream (maybe 1/4 cup) and goat cheese (maybe 1/3 cup?) I put everything in the food processor only for a few seconds.  I wanted my “frosting” to still be thick, so I did not puree in the food processor for very long at all.  I still had lumps and just used a fork to smooth out.

And now it is time to add the bacon to the pie!

MMMMMM…………bacon………

Next up, the root veggies.

Followed by the sweet potato frosting.

Looking good!

Throw everything into the oven at 375 for 40 minutes.  And with 5 minutes left I took the pie out and threw on some crushed walnuts.

And more parmesan cheese.  So delicious!

This meal is worth making.  It took me over two hours total, but I am so happy I prepared this.  So worth it!

The boys were happy!

Have a great night!