Ham and Turkey Pie (Irish St. Stephen's Day Pie)

Leftover ham and turkey get a new life in this unique twist on Shepherd's Pie. With a flavourful meat and veggie bottom and a crusty potato top, St Stephen's Day Pie might just become your new favourite way to eat leftovers. What is St Stephen's Day, and why is there a pie named after it? Do you know the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslas"? It starts like this: "Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephen". It's that same feast that we're talking about today. St Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian Church, and he was the first Christian martyr. His story can be read about in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles, chapters 6 and 7. His feast day falls on December 26 and is widely celebrated in Ireland, as well as other countries such as Croatia, Finland, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Ukrain and the Philippines, among others where it is an official public holiday. The date is the same as the British Boxing Day, so it is common to find this pie served for Boxing Day as well. The pie has little to do with St Stephen. Rather, it is a wonderful way to make the Christmas leftovers into something new. So, it is traditionally served on the day after Christmas. It is traditional all over the world to have a turkey (or goose) and/or a ham for Christmas day dinner. This pie takes that cooked turkey and ham, mixes it with some vegetables and a little stock (or leftover gravy). The pie is topped with mashed potatoes, which can be leftovers or made fresh. (I don't know about you, but we rarely have any leftover mashed potatoes). Once baked to golden and bubbly, the pie is a tasty spin on the classic Shepherd's Pie, with an easy preparation that puts all those Christmas leftovers to good use. You can make fresh mashed potatoes or use 4 cups leftover mashed potatoes, loosened with a little milk.

2½ lbs russet potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped
1 Tbsp. butter
1 egg yolk
¼ cup milk
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Filling:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small leek, cleaned and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
4 oz mushrooms, optional, sliced
¼ cup heavy cream
1¼ cup chicken/turkey stock or turkey gravy
2 tsp. marjoram
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached (if using stock)
¾ lb leftover turkey, cooked, diced
½ lb leftover ham, cooked, diced
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

For the Potatoes:
If you are making mashed potatoes, place the potatoes in a pot of boiling water and cook them until soft.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot, add the butter. Using an electric hand mixer, blend the potatoes until smooth. Add the egg yolk and milk to the potatoes and mix until combined

Season, to taste, with kosher or sea salt and pepper. Set the mashed potatoes aside.

For the Filling:
While the potatoes are cooking, make the pie filling.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter. Add the chopped onion and sauté over medium heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the leeks and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes more, until the onions are completely soft.

Add the mushrooms, if using, and sauté 2-3 minutes.

Add the cream, stock or gravy, and marjoram. (If using stock, rather than gravy, sift 1 Tbsp. of flour over the mixture in the pan and stir well.) Bring the mixture to a light simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Add the chopped meat and mix well.

Taste the mixture and adjust the kosher or sea salt and pepper as needed.

Remove the sauté pan from the heat and set aside.

Assembly:
Pour the meat mixture into a greased 8x8" baking dish and top it with dollops of the mashed potatoes.

Place the dish in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the filling is bubbly. (You may want to place an aluminum foil lined baking sheet on the rack under your baking dish to catch any juices that bubble over.)

Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Makes 6-7 servings.