Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Turkey

We had a bunch of leftovers the other day—corn, peas, a few carrots, ground turkey—and I was trying to think of way we could use as many of them as possible. That is when shepherd’s pie came to me. It was delicious and it used up all of our random leftovers. 

INGREDIENTS – POTATOES

1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (I used red ones), peeled and diced

1/4 cup of half-and-half

2 ounces of unsalted butter

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

1 egg yolk

INGREDIENTS – MEAT FILLING

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup of chopped onion

2 carrots, peeled and diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons of tomato paste

1 cup of chicken broth

1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons of rosemary

1 teaspoon of thyme

3/4 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels

3/4 cup of fresh or frozen English peas

DIRECTIONS – POTATOES

1.           Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

2.          Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

3.          Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds.

4.          Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan.

5.          Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth.

6.          Stir in the yolk until well combined.

DIRECTIONS – MEAT FILLING

1.           Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2.          While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling.

3.          Place the olive oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately three to four minutes.

4.          Add the garlic and stir to combine.

5.          Add the turkey, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately three minutes.

6.          Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute.

7.          Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine.

8.          Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

9.          Add the corn and peas to the meat mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish.

10.       Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.

11.        Place on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown.

12.       Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

This can be rather time intensive, so save it for a weekend.  Original recipe can be found here.