Vegan Mushroom Gravy & Garlic Smashed Baby Potatoes

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is dousing everything in rich gravy! Made with flavorful Baby Bella and Shiitake mushrooms along with garlic and herbs, you won’t even notice it’s vegan. The crispy smashed potatoes make a fabulous crunchy contrast to the silky gravy.

Serves 4-8 (~4 cups gravy)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds multi-colored baby potatoes, fingerling, or baby red bliss potatoes, washed

• 4 each thyme sprigs

• 2 each cloves garlic, crushed

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for pan-frying

• 12 ounces RI Mushroom Co. Baby Bella and Shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and chopped

• 3 cups mushroom or vegetable broth

• 1 cup minced yellow onion (about ½ onion)

• 4 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6-8 cloves)

• 1-½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1-½ - 3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch (see notes)

• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

• Garlic powder, to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine potatoes, thyme sprigs, and crushed garlic. Add enough cold water until there are two inches above the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until easily pierced with a fork, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet or large plate. Using a flat-bottomed glass, carefully smash the potatoes until flattened but still in one piece. Reserve.

2. Meanwhile, add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add chopped RI Mushroom Co. Baby Bella and Shiitake mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and become tender, about 5-8 minutes. Add minced onion and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, another 3-4 minutes.

3. Stir in minced garlic, rosemary, and thyme, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in mushroom or vegetable broth and bring to a simmer. In a separate small bowl, combine nutritional yeast, cornstarch or potato starch, and soy sauce, and mix with a fork or whisk until smooth.

4. Add starch mixture to the pan and stir well to dissolve completely. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Heat a cast-iron or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough extra virgin olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and arrange the smashed potatoes in an even layer. Cook potatoes until crispy, about 2-3 minutes, before flipping and cooking on the other side, another 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate or platter and season smashed potatoes immediately with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, to taste. This is best done in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

6. Arrange potatoes on a serving platter or individual plates and serve with warm gravy. Enjoy!

   Chef’s Notes:

   • If you want a thinner gravy, use 1-½ tablespoons starch, but if you want a thicker gravy use the full 3 tablespoons.

   • If you already are making mashed potatoes or potatoes in a different form, skip steps 1 and 5.