It’s Saturday, just past mid-season for Thanksgiving leftovers, but there’s still time left to try out one of the weekend’s easiest encore dishes: Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd’s Pie. With a crust, of course.
How easy is it? You don’t even need a recipe*, that’s how easy. So I’m just going to walk you through it.
The Pan and The Pastry – Use any single crust recipe you like; there are many to choose from in The Table of Contents. Make a single 9- or 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie or divide the dough into thirds or quarters and make individual pot pies (like the one in the photo.) Line the pan/s with pastry and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
The Filling – You’re the boss, so tilt the ratio of meat to veggies in any direction you please. Chop the meat and green beans into small bite size chunks. Corn, halved brussels sprouts, carrots, peas, leftover green bean casserole? Bring ‘em on! Aim for 5 to 6 cups of filling by the time you’re all in. Have it standing by at room temperature.
The Secret Sauce – It’s the leftover gravy. You’ve got to moisten this whole shebang, so get out the leftover gravy and douse the filling but good with at least 1/2 cup gravy, but 1 cup wouldn’t be too much. Stir it all up.
The Seasonings – Seasonings take a nap when leftovers are refrigerated and never quite wake up after that, so give the filling another go round with the usual Thanksgiving enhancers – salt, pepper, sage, thyme, fresh parsley, etc.
The Mashed Potato Topping – Warm them gently and resuscitate with a bit of hot milk and melted butter. Whip or stir until soft and creamy. The more potatoes, the merrier – 2 to 3 cups minimum. Reheat on top of the stove or in the microwave just before you slather them over the veggies.
The Assembly and Baking – Preheat the oven to 400°. Spoon the filling into the refrigerated shell. Bake on the middle oven rack for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, slide out the pie and place it on your counter. Top with the warm mashed potatoes. Grate cheese over the potatoes, if desired; any cheese you like. Place back in the oven, reduce heat to 375°, and bake another 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack for several minutes before serving. Enjoy!
*I say you don’t need a recipe, but this is – essentially – the recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers Shepherd’s Pie from page 203 of my new book Dinner Pies. Of course, I would understand if you chose to not buy a copy from our online store, but do you really want to be the only person in your circle who doesn’t own a copy of the book Library Journal just called “an instant classic.” ?? Just sayin’…
And now, here’s our latest special holiday shopping deal. We call it…
The Pin and Pastry Course Special
Shame on me for not devoting more time than I have to this beautifully crafted, signature Pie Academy rolling pin. It sort of appeared on the store one day, with little fanfare, and this after months of working with a team of Vermont artisans to design a pin you’d fall in love with and pass along to the next generation of pie makers in your family.
Watch for a video about the pin soon. Meanwhile, you can read more about this fine pin right here, and compare the cherry and maple pins side-by-side.
This is the pin we give out in the swag bags that each of our Lowcountry Pie Getaway attendees receive, and it’s been love at first sight, or touch. If you’ve followed my articles here and watched my videos, you know I like to start rolling my pie doughs with a thin tapered pin, like this one, and finish it with a larger rolling pin.
For this holiday special, we’re teaming up our pin with something any pie maker will get tons of good advice from, and a boatload of here’s-how-you-do-it value – complimentary access to The No-More-Tears Pie Pastry Course. That’s a $19.95 value for unlimited access to all of the videos, recipes, and course printouts. And it’s yours for free, when you buy one of our signature rolling pins in either maple or cherry. (Deal ends December 15th, 2016 or sooner if current inventory is gone.)
And here’s something else really cool: if you’ve already ordered the course in the past for yourself, you can give it to someone else as a holiday gift. We’ll even send you a little pie box and gift card, like the one below, for the recipient.
Of course, you can give both the pin and the course as a gift. We’ll be happy to help you with that, too.
Here’s how to get this special deal: just order one of our rolling pins from our online store. If the course is for you, you don’t have to do anything: we’ll sign you up using the email address with your order. However, if the course is for someone else, please include your phone number; we never share private information. Then we’ll call or email you to get the details and arrange for sending the pie gift box.
That’s all there is to it. By the way, we also do “old school” and take checks. Just send us an email and let us know that’s what you prefer.
Supplies of both the maple and cherry pins are limited, and we’d hate for you to be disappointed, so please don’t delay if you’re hoping to give one of these for the holidays.
