Recycled Recipes: Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie

A journey of recycled goodness. Recipes to reinvent leftover food.

I have been thinking about this blog for some time now, but amidst the laughter (and tears) of two small children - we'll call them Little Miss and Monster, a husband - we'll call him Mo, and a dessert business - we'll call that Very Sweet, time is scarce, to say the least. But somehow on this rainy November day I have managed to slow down time - or at least not feel guilty about spending too much of it - to create this blog. I have been quite lucky as a mom. Little Miss and Monster will eat anything. Green beans, squash soup, roast beef, even tofu. Mo isn't picky either. In fact, I've even seen him order liver. But one thing that all of them refuse to eat? Leftovers. It doesn't matter how much they've enjoyed it, even praised it, the night before - they don't want to eat it again. Hence the birth of this blog concept. Not only, to get my family to eat leftovers, but also to help us all use just that much less. I know that my little family probably throws away enough food to feed another family of 4 every week. I hope this to be a place where we can all come together and share our recipes and advice to help recycle leftover food into something fabulous. If you would like to be a contributor to this blog, please leave a comment. Bon Appetit!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd's Pie

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart. I found it last year and have always wanted to try it. The best part is that you can just use what you have.

Serves 4 to 6

3 cups cooked stuffing
1 cup cranberry sauce, plus more for topping (optional)
1 pound sliced cooked turkey
10 ounces glazed carrots, (or another leftover vegetable)
4 to 6 tablespoons gravy
3 to 4 cups mashed potatoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 9- to 10-inch pie plate, mound stuffing on bottom; layer with cranberry sauce, turkey, and carrots. Drizzle with gravy; spread potatoes over surface to sides of dish. Top with more cranberry sauce, if desired.
Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake until heated through and potatoes are golden, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly.