Turkey Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Topping

I have a rule that at Thanksgiving you should only eat until the button on your pants pops off and hits the chandelier or as my son says "eat until it hurts". I am not sure why we bought a 20 pound turkey for 7 people, but we wouldn't have all of these leftovers if we didn't. This recipe was based on EatingWell's Turkey & Leek Shepherd's Pie and turned out to be very tasty.

Turkey Shepherds Pie with Sweet Potato Topping

Filling
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, rubbed
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups diced cooked turkey
3/4 cup frozen peas
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mashed Sweet Potatoes
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2-3/4 cup milk
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. To prepare filling: Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots and cook, stirring, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

2. Pour in wine and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add flour and sage and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour starts to turn light brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and the carrots are barely tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add turkey (or chicken) and peas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a deep 10-inch pie pan or other 2-quart baking dish and set aside.

4. To mash potatoes and bake pie: Place potatoes in a large saucepan and add cold salted water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and return the potatoes to the pan. Cover and shake the pan over low heat to dry the potatoes slightly, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

5. Mash the potatoes adding enough milk to make a smooth puree. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in egg and 1 tablespoon oil.

6. Spread the potatoes on top of the turkey mixture. With the back of a spoon, make decorative swirls. Set the dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes and filling are heated through and the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Tantalizing Tower of Taste

This dish has sweet and heat and a tower of potato and meat. Chinese 5 spice, chipotle powder, maple syrup, pork and sweet potatoes all combined.

5 Spice Pork with Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

For the potatoes:
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp chipotle powder
1 sweet potato, cut into coins about 1/8" thick Mine weighed about 3/4 lb

For Pork Tenderloin:
1 tsp canola oil
2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
1 pork tenderloin (1 tenderloin from a package of 2) cut into 1/2" coins

For the Sauce:
1 tbs of Maple Syrup
1 tsp of chicken stock
5 spice powder or chipotle powder, depending on whether you want a spicy or sweet sauce Add the amount to your liking

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl place potatoes, oil and chipotle powder toss until well coated. Then spread potatoes on a cookie sheet and place in oven, It should take about 45 minutes for them to get firm and brown on the edges. They will crisp up a little after they are removed from oven.

Place pork coins in bowl with oil and 5 Spice powder, toss until evenly coated. Place them in a saute pan and cook for about 3 minutes per side or until they reach reach the doneness you like.

While pork is cooking place maple syrup and broth in pan with chipotle or 5 Spice powder and simmer until sauce has reduced.

To assemble lay down a sweet potato chip then a pork coin and drizzle with sauce. Keep doing this until you reach your desired height.

I made brown rice and added chopped mushrooms and herbs to surround the base of the Tantalizing Tower of Taste.