Finally the Thanksgiving holiday is behind us, and hopefully we all survived the anxiety of making sure guests and food all turned out well. This past Thanksgiving was another success. We did not host this year, however we went to my in-laws and everyone brought a side dish, appetizer, or dessert. It worked out well. My responsibility was the turkey and the dressing (or stuffing). I’m always game for taking on those challenges, and I will admit, the dressing (or stuffing) is one of my favorites. I bought a large turkey, enough to feed everyone, and decided to simply stuff it with oranges, apples, and herbs, shove butter under the skin, and top it with Nueske’s bacon. It turned out pretty awesome, and with that said, we had leftovers. Lots of leftovers. My favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday is probably waking up the following day and heating up a plate of leftovers. I’ll admit it, no problem. BUT I still had leftovers. That’s when I decided to make something my wife really, really loves, and that is shepherd’s pie. So what a better use of leftovers than making a turkey shepherd’s pie.
What I love about shepherd’s pie is that it is so easy to make, and it just screams comfort in every bite. Perfect for any day of the week, and great for work day leftovers.
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups of leftover Thanskgiving stuffing/dressing
- 1 large carrot, peeled, and diced, approximately 1 cup
- 2 ribs of celery, diced
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 2 cups of leftover turkey, chopped
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 1/2 cup of frozen corn
- 1/2 tbsp salt, to taste
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tbsp canola oil
- 3 whole baking potatoes, skinned, cubed
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- leftover gravy, optional
Start by heating a large skillet on medium heat. Add in the butter and canola oil, and let the butter melt. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion, and let this cook for about 8 minutes, stirring along the way.
Next add in the turkey, stir, and cook for a couple of minutes. Next add in the corn and peas, and give another stir. Add in the salt and pepper. Stir, and remove from the heat.
Make the potatoes by adding the potatoes to a large pot of cold water. Bring this to a boil and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Once tender, drain, add the potatoes back to the pot, cooking over medium heat to remove any excess water, then add in the butter and milk. Mash, or use a ricer. Taste and adjust any butter or salt if needed.
Next get a 9×13 inch baking dish out. Line the dish with the leftover Thanksgiving dressing or stuffing. Top with the turkey and vegetable mixture, then lather on the mashed potatoes.
Place the dish, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove and serve.
To serve, scoop out a serving and ladle on warm gravy. The end result is nothing short of comforting. It has everything you want in a great bite of food, and to me, I would be just happy serving this for my next Thanksgiving, it’s that good.
How do you use your leftover Thanksgiving food?
Turkey Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 3 cups of leftover Thanskgiving stuffing/dressing
- 1 large carrot peeled, and diced, approximately 1 cup
- 2 ribs of celery diced
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 2 cups of leftover turkey chopped
- 1/2 cup of frozen peas
- 1/2 cup of frozen corn
- 1/2 tbsp salt to taste
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 tbsp canola oil
- 3 whole baking potatoes skinned, cubed
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- leftover gravy optional
Instructions
- Start by heating a large skillet on medium heat. Add in the butter and canola oil, and let the butter melt. Add in the carrots, celery, and onion, and let this cook for about 8 minutes, stirring along the way.
- Next add in the turkey, stir, and cook for a couple of minutes. Next add in the corn and peas, and give another stir. Add in the salt and pepper. Stir, and remove from the heat.
- Make the potatoes by adding the potatoes to a large pot of cold water. Bring this to a boil and cook for about 12 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender. Once tender, drain, add the potatoes back to the pot, cooking over medium heat to remove any excess water, then add in the butter and milk. Mash, or use a ricer. Taste and adjust any butter or salt if needed.
- Next get a 9×13 inch baking dish out. Line the dish with the leftover Thanksgiving dressing or stuffing. Top with the turkey and vegetable mixture, then lather on the mashed potatoes.
- Place the dish, uncovered, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove and serve.
- To serve, scoop out a serving and ladle on warm gravy. The end result is nothing short of comforting. It has everything you want in a great bite of food, and to me, I would be just happy serving this for my next Thanksgiving, it’s that good.