Description

This Leftover Thanksgiving Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate cozy meal, transforming leftover mashed potatoes, veggies, and holiday flavors into a rich, comforting bake with a crispy golden topping. It’s the perfect way to use leftovers while making a completely new, crowd-pleasing dish.

Ingredients

For the Mashed Potato Topping:

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
¼ – ½ cup half & half or heavy cream**
2 egg yolks
½ cup shredded white cheddar or preferred cheese
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

For the Filling:

1 lb ground beef or lamb
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp salted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, leaves removed and diced
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tsps chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsps chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsps all purpose flour
¾ cup red wine
1¼ cups beef broth
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup fresh or frozen english peas
Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

For the Shepherd’s Pie:

Start by removing your leftover mashed potatoes from the fridge to come to room temperature. *If you don’t have leftover mashed potatoes, you can follow the steps to making simplified mashed potatoes above.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Heat a cast iron or oven proof skillet* over medium heat and drizzle in the olive oil. Add the ground beef or lamb and flatten into a single layer. Season with salt. After 4-5 minutes or until golden brown, flip and continue cooking until browned, breaking the meat into crumbles with a wooden spoon. If using a fattier cut of meat, you may need to drain some of the excess fat, you should have about 1-2 tbsps before adding the veggies.
Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery and season with a pinch of salt. Cook on medium for 10-15 minutes until veggies have softened but still have a bit of bite.
Add the butter and once melted, add in the chopped garlic, rosemary, and thyme. Continue cooking for 1 minute or until garlic is fragrant.
Add in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the tomato paste has darkened. Add in the flour and cook for 60-90 seconds, stirring into the vegetables to cook out any raw flour taste.
Add the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir and continue cooking until almost all liquid has evaporated.
Add in the beef broth and bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened. Season with worcestershire sauce and pinch of salt. Gently stir in the peas and cook for 3 minutes.
Shut off the heat and stir in the fresh parsley. Let the mixture cool slightly while you make your mashed potato topping.
**Mashed potatoes tend to firm up quite a bit as they sit, so they need more moisture to liven them up. Once your mashed potatoes are at room temperature, mix in the egg yolks, shredded cheddar, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, and ¼ – ½ cup half & half or heavy cream, depending on how thick your mashed potatoes are. If using fresh, you may not need to add any cream beyond what is already in your recipe. You want the mashed potatoes to be spreadable.
Top the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes, spreading out into an even layer. Use a fork to make ridges in the mixture to create texture, then top with the remaining ¼ cup parmesan cheese.
Bake in a 400°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese has melted, then broil for the last 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

*You can use a 9”, 10”, or 12” cast iron, just keep in mind this will be quite full in a 9” cast iron. If you don’t have a cast iron or ovenproof skillet, just cook this in a skillet and transfer to a 9×9” baking dish before adding the mashed potatoes and baking.

**The amount of cream you use will depend on the original mashed potato recipe you used, you want the mashed potatoes to be just to the point of spreadable.

Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 55
Category: Dinner
Method: One Pot