We sure do love our shepherd’s pie around here. Traditionally, shepherd’s pie was a dish made from left over lamb (or mutton) and leftover mashed potatoes (hence the shepherd part of the title). I was first introduce the shepherd’s pie in college, in the dining hall of all places. That version was made with ground beef. I have adapted that recipe into a Venison Shepherd’s Pie and to use up leftover ham, we have Cheesy Ham Shepherd’s Pie and now for our post-Thanksgiving delights, we have Turkey Shepherd’s Pie.
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Using up the Leftovers
So Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is designed to use up that leftover turkey for a big roast turkey, however, you could use ground turkey if you don’t have leftover roasted meat. Just add the step of browning the meat before you move into the onion step. The same is true of the mashed potatoes. If you need to make mashed potatoes fresh, begin boiling the potatoes before you begin making the filling.
The Filling
Begin by melting butter or ghee (to make it Whole30) in a large cast iron skillet (We love our 12 inch one from Lodge). Add onion, celery and carrots and cook until soft. Once they are soft, you are going to make a roux. I use potato starch to make this gluten free (you could use flour if that is not a concern). Slowly add the potato starch to the vegetable and ghee mixture. Make sure that it gets fully absorbed into the mixture and that you do not have any lumps. Slowly add chicken or turkey stock allowing it to mix completely with the starch before adding more. Use a wooden spoon to make sure that you are working out the lumps. Lumps cannot be worked out later.
Let your gravy simmer until it begins to thicken. Then add leftover turkey and leftover vegetables of a bag of frozen green beans. Remove from heat. Neither the turkey nor the vegetables will have to cook because they will finish in the oven.
Prepare the Casserole
Add your meat, gravy and vegetable mix to a 2 quart casserole dish (this one is our favorite). Top with mashed potatoes. If you are using leftover mashed potatoes, you may want to reheat them for a minute in the microwave. They are easier to spread if they are hot. Sometimes though, I just pull “balls” of mashed potatoes and plop them on top of the gravy, they kind of spread out as they heat. That’s the lazy way though. 😊
The Day after Thanksgiving
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect day after Thanksgiving, use up some of those leftovers meal. If you are looking for more ways to use up leftover turkey, be sure to check out next week’s post 10 Uses for Leftover Turkey. Some of these recipes are ours. Some come from the inter webs. All are delicious.
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie (Whole30)
Equipment
- large (cast iron) skillet
- 1.5 quart casserole dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups mashed potatoes
- ½ cup butter or ghee use ghee to make the recipe Whole30
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup potato starch
- 2½ cups chicken or turkey stock
- 2-3 cups shredded turkey
- 2-3 cups frozen vegetables use green beans, cauliflower and broccoli to be Whole30 compliant
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- In a large cast iron skillet, melt the butter or ghee.
- Add the chopped onions and cook until soft. 3-5 minutes.
- Slowly add the potato starch, making sure that each addition is fully absorbed into the melted butter.
- Slowly add the chicken or turkey stock. Stirring until smooth before adding more. Be sure to get all the lumps out. You can not get them out later.
- Add the turkey and vegetables. Remove from heat and pour into a prepared casserole dish.
- Top with mashed potatoes.
- Bake in a 350°F oven until the gravy begins to bubble and the potatoes become golden brown. About 40 minutes.
