In the wake of last night’s presidential debate I thought I would make a controversial dish around here. For dinner, I made Rachael Ray’s Smokey Turkey Shepherd’s Pie. There has been some speculation, however, if it technically shepherd’s pie or is it cottage pie.
According to Food.com, Shepherd’s Pie is an English dish that is typically made with a layer of minced lamb, vegetables, and gravy and then topped with mashed potatoes sometimes topped with cheese. Cottage Pie is made the same way, but with minced beef. So, now that you have the facts, technically a “pie” made with ground turkey is neither. I thought it might be fun to call it Fowl Pie, but that doesn’t sound good at all. So, for now I will refer to it as Turkey Pie.
This is another Rachael Ray recipe that is an Autumn staple in our home. The kids like the mashed potato top, and Brian likes everything else. The only change I have made is that I added a little shredded cheese to the top of the mashed potatoes because my kids love cheese.
Here is the recipe I retyped from the Food Network Website.
- 3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spice aisle of market
- Coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 10 to 12 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped