Layers and layers of Christmas flavours
Transforming a nut roast into something more celebratory, this recipe is a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Combining layers of savoury nut roast, sweet leeks, earthy spiced beetroot, all topped off with a layer of crisp sweet potatoes, this a centre piece dish that will stand out on any festive table.
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December 14, 2023
What makes this dish so special?
For our sustainable festive main course, we’ve pulled out all the stops on a traditional nut roast and created a celebratory centre piece. We’ve used locally sourced, seasonal ingredients like winter beets and leeks, as well as some more economical products like frozen spinach.
Find the full recipe below
Ingredients:
Nut Stuffing:
- 1 large onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 200g chestnut mushrooms
- 1tsp dried sage
- 1tsp dried rosemary
- 1tsp dried thyme
- 1tbsp marmite
- 60g dried cranberries
- 175g walnuts
- 175g hazelnuts
- 100g sourdough bread
- 150ml white wine
- 1tbsp tahini
- 2tbsp olive oil
Beetroot Layer:
- 300g cooked beetroot
- 125g ground almonds
- 2tsp ground cinnamon
- Zest of 1 orange
Spinach and Leek Layer:
- 100g frozen spinach
- 2 leeks (medium)
- 1tbsp vegan butter
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ¼tsp ground cloves
- ¼tsp ground nutmeg
- 2tbsp white wine
Sweet Potato Layer:
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 2tbsp vegan butter
Savoury Granola:
- 50g Spoon ‘The Low Sugar One’ Granola
- 1tbsp maple syrup
- 1 stalk fresh rosemary
- 5 sage leaves sliced
- 1 good pinch salt
- 1 good pinch pepper
Method:
Beetroot Layer:
- Blend cooked beetroot and mix with the ground almonds ground cinnamon and grated orange zest, season to taste.
Spinach and Leek Layer:
- Defrost spinach and remove excess water.
- Cut the leeks lengthways in half, wash, and slice into half moons.
- In a frying pan, heat the butter and gently sizzle the crushed garlic.
- Add in the leeks and cook until soft.
- Add in the spinach, wine, spices and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook until all liquid has evaporated.
Nut Roast Stuffing Layer:
- Fry the diced onion in 2tbsp of olive oil in a large pan until softened.
- Sauté the garlic for 1 minute, then add mushrooms for 10 mins until dry.
- Put the nuts in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped but not ground.
- Add in the marmite, wine and tahini and combine with the rest of the mixture.
- Stir in the nuts, cranberries, and dried herbs.
- Take off the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs –the mixture should hold together, but not be wet– add more wine/stock/tahini if needed.
Sweet Potato Layer:
- Thinly slice the sweet potato into discs.
- Melt the butter.
Savoury Granola:
- Simply mix all the ingredients together.
Assembly:
- Preheat oven to 160ºC.
- Grease and line a 8inch spring form tin.
- Divide the nut stuffing mixture into three equal parts.
- Add a third of the mixture to the cake tin and press into place.
- Top with the leek and spinach mixture and again press into place.
- Repeat the process with another layer of nut stuffing, then the beetroot and the final layer of stuffing.
- Arrange the discs of sweet potato into a circle around the top of the cake tin – they should stand tall to create the crown effect, but they can lean to support one and other.
- Brush with the melted butter and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 40 minutes and then increase the temperature to 180ºc to crisp up the sweet potato for 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle on the savoury granola and bake for a final 2 minutes.
- Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes and then serve.
Top tips:
- There are quite a few steps to this recipe, so to take the pressure off, prepare the layers in advance and then it’s just an assembly job on the day
- The flavours will develop as it cools, so you could eat it at room temperature with a good hot gravy to bring it up to temperature
- Any leftovers can be frozen for future meals
