Turkey Shepherd's Pie

It is likely that after Thanksgiving you might have some leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. I had 3 cups of turkey meat and 4 pounds of mashed potatoes leftover after Friendsgiving, which inspired me to make this Turkey Shepherd's Pie. I sautéed shallots and mushrooms, and then made a sauce with cream of mushroom soup and homemade turkey stock. Then I added peas, carrots, corn, green beans and diced turkey to the sauce. I placed this mixture into pie pans and then topped it with the leftover mashed potatoes.

I bought disposable aluminum pie pans, so that I could freeze the shepherd's pies. I made both a full size pie and three mini pies. The mini pies are going to be perfect for those nights when I am too busy to make dinner.

You can add any of your favorite vegetables to this dish, or omit any that you don't like.

Yield: 2 full sized pie pans
You will need:

1 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Shallot, thinly sliced
8 ounces sliced Mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
¼ cup Dry Sherry
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 ½ cups Turkey Stock
¼ cup Peas
½ cup Corn
½ cup sliced Carrots
¼ cup Green Beans
2 cups diced Turkey Meat
3 cups Mashed Potatoes

Step 1:

Combine the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Then add the mushrooms and generously add salt and pepper. Stir the mushrooms and shallot until they are evenly coated in butter and olive oil. After two minutes, add the sherry. Sauté until all liquid has been absorbed.

Step 2:

Add the cream of mushrooms soup and the turkey stock to the skillet with the mushrooms. Stir together, then add the peas, corn, carrots, green beans, and turkey meat. Stir again to evenly distribute the ingredients. The turkey and vegetables won't be hot at this point, but that is fine since you will be baking them.

Step 3:

Pour the turkey and vegetable filling into two pie pans. Top with the mashed potatoes. I recommend microwaving the potatoes for about 1 minute to warm them so that they spread more easily. If you want to fancy, you can scoop the potatoes into a pastry bag and pipe them on top of the filling. Optional: top the potatoes with a thin layer of melted butter to help the potatoes reach a golden brown color.

Step 4:

Bake or freeze. If you are baking right away, bake for 30 -35 minutes at 350. If you are freezing and then baking, bake for 50-55 minutes at 350 degrees.