Turkey Leftovers - Sheppard's Pie

In the previous post I was raving about this potpie recipe I was going to make, it was going to include my turkey leftovers. I opened the fridge and saw the whole big container of leftover mashed potatoes. So, there goes my potpie... instead I made a turkey Sheppard's pie.
Few weeks ago my husband Tim asked me why I never made a Sheppard's pie before, and the answer is simple, I am not a big fun of those type of foods... I'll eat it, but if I have a choice of making something else, I'll make something else...



But this time, I decided to surprise Tim and make him one of his favorite childhood dishes. He was very excited to see the Sheppard's pie. I made a good size baking dish filled with bubbly mixture and mashed potatoes on top - he ate more than a half of it for dinner on Saturday!
LOL - and he loved it!

I didn't measure ingredients, just kind of eyeballed it.

I diced the medium Spanish onion, and sauted it with 2 tsp of butter and some olive oil. Slice about 6-7 medium mushrooms, and add to the onion, than add 2 crushed cloves of garlic, and about a 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped carrots, I skipped celery stalk, but you are more than welcome to add it. I sweat it all together on the skillet for a few minutes, and than I added chopped leftover turkey, mix it well and left to warm up on the low heat. The last we add some frozen peas.

In the other pan I malted 3 tsp of butter on low heat, and added 4 TBS of flour, whisk it all together well, so there are no curds. Add chopped thyme. Slowly add about 2 cups of stock (again, I eyeballed it - just add a little at the time, whisk and see how thick the sauce is getting. if too thick add more stock) Brink it to a boil. I also added a 1/4 of white wine, to break out the flavor. Seasoned with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne for a little kick...

After the sauce was done I pour the mixture of vegetables and turkey into the sauce, stir it well and pour to the baking dish. Put a layer of mashed potatoes on top, bake in 375 for 30 minutes, until bubbles.

It was fast and easy to make considering all the leftovers...

Individual Potpies - Chicken or Turkey?

So Thanksgiving is over, and now we have plenty of leftover turkey, stock, herbs and other goodies that we could make into something yummy.
I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine, and I made it with chicken before. I am not a big fan of potpies but this one was actually very good. And I think I liked it because it has mushrooms and thyme, those add a hint of earthiness to the potpie. So today, I was trying to figure out something for dinner to incorporate the leftovers, and I decided to make the potpies, but I will use the leftover turkey. Also instead of making those biscuits I will use the Pillsbury biscuits, that I have in the fridge. And if you don't have individual dishes, you can just put in a 9x9 square pan, and top with biscuits. This recipe makes 6-7 individual servings.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock
• 3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and finely chopped (I will skip the potatoes)
  
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 12 small cremini or button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 5 tablespoons
  
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken, preferably a mixture of white and dark meat (see Notes)
• 1/4 cup frozen sweet peas

Biscuits

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 cups four
  
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh sage
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. well-shaken buttermilk
• Egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 tbsp. milk)

1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add carrots, potatoes, and celery. Lower heat to medium and cook until vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain vegetables, reserving stock; set both aside separately.

2. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt salted butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes. Add fresh thyme and 5 tbsp. flour and cook 2 minutes. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until combined, then add stock and cook, stirring often, until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Add parsley, chicken, cooked vegetables, and peas and divide filling evenly among 6 or 7 ovenproof containers (8 to 10 oz. each), leaving the top 1/4 in. unfilled.

3. Preheat oven to 425°. To make biscuit topping, sift remaining 2 cups flour with baking powder, baking soda, and remaining 1 tsp. salt. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work in unsalted butter to form a coarse meal, working quickly to keep the butter from warming up and melting into the dough. Stir in cheese and sage. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and buttermilk and add to the flour mixture, stirring gently until a shaggy dough forms.

4. Lightly flour a counter, a rolling pin, and your hands. Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll out first ball to a 1/4-in. thickness, then use a 2 1/2-in. biscuit cutter to cut into rounds, scraping and rerolling dough as needed. Repeat with second ball.

5. Place 3 rounds of dough on each potpie, overlapping as necessary (any unused rounds can be baked on their own as biscuits). Brush dough with egg wash, put potpies on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil, and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 17 to 22 minutes.

{Recipe from Sunset Magazine}