Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

Comfort food at it’s finest!

I may have missed Pi day, but I’m just in time for St. Paddy’s Day! Shepherd’s pie is one of our daughter’s favorite foods. Could it be because her last name is Cassidy? She especially likes when her big brother makes it.  Alas, her brother is at school, so it’s my turn. As some of you may know, my husbands name is Paddy, so it also happens that we are going full Irish here, celebrating a saint as well as a great husband and father. In the name of budgeting, I decided to try to use things I already have at home in my pantry and freezer. I found some frozen ground turkey, a few russet potatoes, an onion, and some other random veggies. A heaping serving of Shepherd’s Pie on a cool, late winter day, served with a nice glass of white wine or a beer, should carry us til spring. (PSA, it’s only 3 days away!)

Ingredients – Mashed Potatoes:

3-4 russet potatoes, peeled cut into chunks

1/2 cup whole milk or cream

6 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Ingredients – Filling:

Oil

1 large onion, peeled, diced and divided

1.25 pound ground turkey

1 small red bell pepper

1 med. carrot  peeled and diced

1 cup diced mushrooms

3 med cloves garlic, finely diced

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 tsp dried thyme

2.5 tbsp flour

1.5 cups chicken stock

Salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.

To make Mashed Potatoes:

Place peeled and cubed potatoes in stock pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and add butter, milk or cream and salt. Whip with a hand held mixer until fluffy. Add salt to taste.

To make Filling:

Add oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Saute 1/2 of the onion in oil until slightly softened. Add ground turkey and cook until evenly browned. Add salt to taste.

Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl. Add a bit more oil to the pan and add onions and any other vegetables. Turn heat to medium low. Saute about 10 minutes until vegetables soften and begin to caramelize. Add garlic and stir about a minute. Add wine to deglaze the pan, stirring about 1 minute.

Add thyme, and flour and stir about 20 seconds until flour is mixed. Add stock or broth and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Combine with the cooked meat mixture and check again for salt/seasoning.

Assemble and Bake:

Layer meat on bottom of a greased 9 x 13 inch pan or large oven safe skillet, then cover with mashed potatoes. Cook about 35-40 minutes until mashed potatoes are golden brown.

Serve!