Turkey Pot Pie with Checkerboard Topping

Happy Thanksgiving!

Leftover Ideas - Turkey Pot Pie Casserole

Savory filling topped with alternating scoops of stuffing & potatoes

Turkey Pot Pie with scoops of stuffing & mashed sweet potatoes for topping

Vintage Thanksgiving postcard

Posting this to share left over ideas. I tried this out last year with great success.

Also sharing this fun history of the made up ritual behind Beaujolais Nouveau. My family has been including at least one bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau as a necessary part of our Thanksgiving tradition for many years now. We really look forward to it. The local bars & bistros of Beaujoalis & Lyons began this libation celebration. And then it spread to Paris, other parts of France and - thankfully - it's now spread around the world. Georges Duboeuf is our usual vintner go to. Bon apetit! Slainte!

From an article at the Into Wine website: “It has become a worldwide race to be the first to serve this new wine of the harvest. In doing so, it has been carried by motorcycle, balloon, truck, helicopter, Concorde jet, elephant, runners and rickshaws to get it to its final destination. It is amazing to realize that just weeks before this wine was a cluster of grapes in a growers vineyard. But by an expeditious harvest, a rapid fermentation, and a speedy bottling, all is ready at the midnight hour. By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is to be released no earlier than the third Thursday of November. ...the race from grape to glass may be silly, but half the fun is knowing that on the same night, in homes, cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and bistros around the world, the same celebration is taking place. It hasn't the pedigree to be a classic wine, but it is always good."  

Cathi’s Turkey Pot Pie with Sweet Potato & Stuffing Topping

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker’s Turkey Pot Pie at http://www.browneyedbaker.com/turkey-pot-pie-recipe/ and Anne Cusack’s Pilgrim Pie at http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/25/food/la-fo-leftoversrec25b-2009nov25

Ingredients:

1 Tbp olive oil

1 medium red onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 large sprig fresh thyme

Couple pinches kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

3 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1¾ cups turkey broth (stock or from drippings)

1-2 fresh sage leaves, chiffonade (very thinly sliced into ribbons)

~3 cups cooked turkey meat, skin removed, cut into bite-size pieces

1 cup frozen peas

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

2 cups leftover stuffing (mine has small dice of carrots, celery, onion, & craisins + bread crumbs/herbs)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pour olive oil into large skillet and heat over medium. Add the onion, celery and thyme to the skillet.  Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until veggies are softened, 5-10 minutes.

Sprinkle flour over veggies and stir, cooking until the flour is toasted, about 3 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with turkey broth. Sprinkle in sage ribbons. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened.

Add in the turkey meat and peas. Stir to coat meat & veggies with sauce.

Turn out turkey mixture to a 9x13 glass casserole dish or 2-quart baking dish.

Use a cookie scoop and alternate scoops of stuffing and sweet potatoes across the top of the pie mixture.

Bake until the filling is bubbling and the topping is starting to brown, about 30 minutes.

ALLERGENS: contains wheat (sauce & stuffing)

ALLERGY ACCOMMODATIONS: can substitute with gluten-free thickener for sauce; can use gluten-free stuffing or use an alternating pattern of plain mashed potatoes & mashed sweet potatoes to maintain checkboard topping. Also, be aware of the ingredients used in making the stuffing and mash – if you need to avoid using dairy (esp butter) in stuffing mix, use a bit of olive oil and broth or plain water to moisten. Can avoid using dairy (butter and/or milk) in mashed potatoes by using margarine and broth.