Thanksgiving Shepherd's Pie

Sure, turkey sandwiches and turkey soup are great. But year after year, I get bored with those traditional leftovers.

So this is what my family has done for several years with our Thanksgiving leftovers. It's so simple and freezable and you'll appreciate this piping hot from your oven in the bleak days of mid-January. It's a shepherd's pie, of sorts. Just a pie crust with layers of your leftover Thanksgiving dinner and topped with all those leftover mashed potatoes.

We use a store-bought pie crust (which are always on sale at this time of year anyways) but if you have lots of stuffing/dressing leftover, I think you could press that into the bottom of the pan and use that as your crust! The only other new ingredient you need - and this is entirely optional - is a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I like the extra color in there.

So, here is how we do it: put your store bought thawed pie crust in the bottom of a pie plate. Layer a bit of leftover stuffing/dressing, diced leftover turkey, and some frozen mixed veggies. Pour leftover gravy over the layers. Top with mashed potatoes. Cut off the edges of the crust and press around the pan with a fork or make pretty edges. Sprinkle with some paprika for color and freeze until you are ready to eat more turkey. Then when that day comes, just throw it in the oven until it's hot.

It's kind of like a store-bought pot-pie, but this is made with real ingredients and love from scratch by your mom (or whomever makes your Thanksgiving feast). It's also a fabulous thing to send with your college-aged kid back to his apartment, or to give to a young couple with a 2-year old and another on the way, or to your octogenarian grandparents. Everyone loves a simple one-dish meal that they just have to throw in the oven to get dinner on the table!

And you won't get bored with turkey sandwiches ever again!

Note: I'm sure you noticed the photos are better than usual. They are courtesy of Nick and Kim Fosse and Kim's fancy new camera.