What’s Going On?

So following dinner on Thursday, I brought back turkey that no one wanted and I also had brought back some of my famous cheesy mashed potatoes. So what I decided to do like almost anyone else would do is that I made another dish out of the two items.

First thing that comes to my mind anytime that there is leftover mashed potatoes would be to make a shepherd’s pie of some sort. Since I had an abundant amount of turkey to use I decided to make a shepherd’s pie out of turkey.

I first reheated some turkey and re-seasoned with salt and pepper on a cast iron skillet. Next, I took the turkey off the pan and I used some of the caramelized turkey bits and the seasoning that was left on the pan and used that to make a roux from butter and flour. I then mixed in some milk and water into my roux; however, this could be done using chicken or vegetable stock, but I didn’t have any on hand. I then mixed in some peas and corn into the gravy. Once brought up to texture and consistency that I wanted I then added the turkey back into the gravy. I then poured the meat and veggie mixture into a baking pan and then covered the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. I placed the pan into a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven and cooked until bubbling. When it reached the temperature I wanted I then sprinkled some fried onion strings on top and raised the temperature to 425-degrees Fahrenheit. I removed from the oven when the top of the shepherd’s pie was golden brown and the onion strings were crispy and crunch.

After cooking the shepherd’s pie, it is wise to let the shepherd’s pie sit a little bit because the contents underneath the mashed potatoes are very very hot. Also the gravy is very viscous and so it will run on you unless you created a thick gravy. My mistake this time was that I was too hungry and I just plated right away. The worst thing that could happen happened. My shepherd’s pie collapsed. However, to my amazement the pie came out wonderful in taste and flavor. It was seasoned just right and satisfied my hunger.

If you would like to this for many people and do not want to have the effect of the shepherd’s pie running on you, what you can do is make individual sized portions in little ceramic bowls. There are a vast amount of ceramics you can choose from out in the market place. You can use quiche dishes, au gratins, souffle dishes, and even creme brulee boats. Whatever best fits your needs I’m sure you’ll be able to please your friends and family.

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