Savoury Bannock Pie (A Recipe to Riches Update)

Yesterday I made this week's winning dish from week 4 of Recipe to Riches, the newest competition show to hit Food Network Canada.  If you remember, I was asked to be an official Recipe to Riches blogger, meaning that over the duration of the program, I will make three of the triumphant recipes, and then write about them here the morning after the winner is announced.  

This week's theme was savoury pies, and I anticipated seeing the top secret recipe land in my in-box on Monday afternoon.  When I received the buttoned-up email, my heart sank a little as I discovered I was going to be making something known as Savoury Bannock Pie.  Huh?  My vision of savoury pies include bit-sized chunks of chicken breast or coarsely ground beef or lamb. This really didn't sound like my kind of dish.

 

I'm so happy to report that I was wrong.  A quick read through of the ingredients made me realize that a more enticing title might have been Root Vegetable and Hazelnut Pot Pie with Sweet Potato Biscuit Topping.  I can see why they shortened it though, as the lengthy name could lend itself to packaging typographic nightmares. I also understand the reason for the name now that I've watched the show.

The recipe was created by Melanie Lyall, from Coast Salish, Vancouver, and is derived from her First Nations heritage.  Made with diced butternut squash, grated sweet potatoes, sweet onions, crisp celery, minced garlic and roasted hazelnuts, the ingredients are combined to make a pot-pie'esque filling, which is then topped with a sweet potato biscuit crust. Taking less than hour to make and assemble, I was pleased with how straightforward the recipe was.

In terms of flavour, I thought it was spot on, although I personally could have done without the addition of the nuts.  However, I was pleased to learn that hazelnuts are harvested across Canada (I had no idea!), and I think the addition of them makes this dish truly unique, not to mention local and vegetarian.  

My boys would like dish (without the inclusion of the nuts) and I think it could nicely compliment any Thanksgiving or family dinner this holiday season. I look forward to seeing how President's Choice interprets this pie, and if it's a selling success.

Head over to the Food Network's official Recipe to Riches page for this week's winning recipe, and let me know if you give it a try.

Full disclosure: Recipe to Riches is giving their official bloggers President's Choice gift cards to offset the time and money spent making the winning recipe.  The opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

Comments

[Mardi@eatlivetravelwrite]

I didn't know that hazelnuts were harvested across Canada either - you learn something new every day! I didn't much like this, though it was so pretty. I think I would have liked this better with a sweet potato mash on top rather than the bannock. This one was not a winning recipe in our house :(

[Jan Scott]

Thats okay!  I did like it a lot, I just couldve done without the nuts!

[Paula]

Great review and great replication of the dish. I doubt I would enjoy this winner however, bannock is just not my cup of tea nor are sweet potatoes.

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