Lamb leftovers = Shepherds Pie

Happy holidays!  If you were as blessed as I was, your Christmas dinner was amazing!  Our dinner included: deep fried turkey, maple syrup/brown sugar glazed ham, lamb roast marinated in garlic, ginger, virgin olive oil, fresh sage and thyme, homemade potato salad and macaroni cheese, crisp, colorful garden salad, hot dinner rolls, collard greens and string beans.  Dessert - all made by scratch (Aunt Estelle can BAKE!) - chocolate/chocolate cake, coconut cake.  My father's colleague also provided homemade a coconut cream and pumpkin pie.  Luther Vandross, the Temptations and Etta James provided Christmas melodies in the background ... until football came on haha Truly blessed to share hearty laughs, an abundance of food and plenty of libations with my amazing family.  As the Christmas day party came to an end we had plenty of leftovers ~ even after all the Blacks packed their tupperware and depleted the foil. 

The day after Christmas, it is cold, gray and rainy.  When my Mom asked what we would have for dinner I immediately thought:  shepherds pie!  It is one of my favorite winter dishes and we had plenty of lamb left so why not?

Before mincing the lamb, I started boiling the small golden potatoes.  While waiting for the potatoes, I proceeded by mincing the leftover lamb.  In the roast pan Mom included sweet onions as well as red and orange peppers.  After lamb was finely minced I pureed the vegetables until they were a gravy texture.  I placed the minced lamb in a baking pan and poured the "gravy" over the lamb.

Once the potaotes were done I mashed them with 2% milk, sour cream, salt and pepper.  I then forked the potatoes onto the minced lamb in the baking pan.

I placed the pie into the pre-heated oven (350) and baked.

After baking for 45 minutes the potatoes are perfectly browned, crispy around the edges (YUM!).  The "cherry on top" - Dubliner cheese.  You can find this delight in your grocery's "gourmet" cheese section.  It runs for $7.

I placed thin slices on the shepherds pie and put the pie back in the over for another 30 minutes.  The result:  a perfectly browned, yummy shepherds pie.

I enjoyed my piece of the pie with a glass of Anakena Merlot from Chile. 

Prep time (boiling and mashing potatoes):  60 minutes
Prep time (mincing lamb): 30 minutes
Cook time: 75 minutes
Enjoy food & wine time:  30 minutes

It was the perfect way to savor Mom's leftover lamb on the cold night after Christmas.