Autumn Root Veggie and Cider Hotpot

I've got a really cheap but tasty winter warmer for you today. I used to make a casserole like this quite a lot years ago but I'd forgotten all about it until I saw these bags of casserole mix in Heron Foods. The bags were 2 for £1 and contain frozen onion, celery, carrot, turnip and swede.

To serve alongside it I also picked up some frozen garlic baguettes from Heron which are 59p a pack or 2 for £1.

Autumn Root Veggie and Cider Hotpot

2 x 600g packs of frozen casserole mix
3 large potatoes
1 teaspoon of dried sage
Stock to cook frozen veggies in
Olive oil to brush potatoes
Sauce
2 oz / half a cup of plain flour
1 pint of cider
2 dessert spoon of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of yeast extract
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

Place the frozen casserole mix veggies in a pan and just cover with boiling water and cook for about 4 minutes until no longer frozen. Once cooked drain water off.
Make the sauce by whisking the flour in a pan with enough cider to dissolve it and make a paste. Over a low heat continue to add the cider whisking all the time. Stir in the tomato puree, yeast extract, nutritional yeast and salt + pepper to taste. When it starts to thicken remove from the heat.

Stir the sauce into the vegetable mixture and transfer to an ovenproof dish.
Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Top the veg mixture with the potatoes and brush the slices with oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook for 30 minutes.

Serve with garlic bread and some greens on the side. We went for cavolo nero.