It’s Wednesday, so what’s cooking? Leftovers.

That’s right, a tasty way to use those bits of beef you’ve frozen and promised yourself to reheat before they ended in the trash. This recipe works well with all types of beef and pork, or a combination of the two. Be sure to include any of the juices that have collected in your container.

Shepherd’s Pie
Salad
Fresh Italian or French Bread
Beer – for this menu, my favorite is Harp

The Filling
2 TBL olive oil
1 TBL butter
1 large onion chopped fine
1 large carrot chopped fine
3 gloves garlic pressed
1 ½ pounds leftover beef chopped bite size or smaller
4 sprigs rosemary leaves removed or 1 teas. dried
4 sprigs thyme leaves removed or 1 teas. Dried
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teas. Worcestershire Sauce
½ can tomato paste
¼ cup dry red wine
½ cup beef stock

Pour olive oil into a large, hot frying pan and stir in butter. Sauté onion and carrot until the onion is translucent and tender, but not brown, about 5 - 7 minutes.

Add garlic and stir for about 30 – 60 seconds.

Blend in the meat, herb leaves, and pepper.

Stir in Worcestershire Sauce, stir, tomato paste, stir, red wine and cook for 2 minutes.

Pour the stock into the pan and heat through for 3 minutes.

You don’t have to be adamant on all the times. They are merely guides so you don’t rush the process.

Mashed Potatoes
5 russet potatoes
¼ cup sour cream
¼ cup milk
3 ½ TBL soft butter
1 egg yolk
Freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Peel and quarter potatoes. Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover the potatoes by an inch or so. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender. Drain pan.

Add sour cream, some of the milk, all of the butter, and the pepper to the pan. Mash the potatoes. Add small amounts of additional milk until you achieve the consistency you prefer. Add the egg yolk and half the Parmesan cheese. Stir well.

Cover with aluminum foil to keep from drying out until you assemble the pie.

Assemble the Pie
Preheat the oven to 400F

Scoop the meat into individual ovenproof dishes or a deep casserole. I prefer the individual dishes as this recipe freezes well or will hold in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Fill bowls no more than ¾’s.

Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top and spread to the edges. This can be a little tricky. Don’t press down on the spoon or the juice will flood over the potatoes. Sprinkle with a generation portion of Parmesan cheese.

Set bowls on a cookie sheet to protect the oven should they boil over. Bake 20 minutes or so to lightly brown the potatoes and set the pie.

If you use the individual bowls, serve them on a dinner plate to protect your tabletop from the heat. The pie is extremely hot. Be sure to warn your diners so no one burns their mouth.

Tossed Salad
Lettuce from 2 different types torn into bite size pieces, red leaf and head are excellent choices
Tomatoes chopped
Cucumber peeled and sliced
Zucchini diced
Green Onions sliced, be sure to add some of the green
Mushrooms sliced

Combine everything, or any grouping you like. Cover with a damp paper towel and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Toss with your favorite dressing, for this menu I prefer Italian. Be careful not to add too much dressing or the lettuce will get soggy.

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Are you a Vin Diesel fan? If so, my good friend Yasmine Phoenix is blogging about The Chronicles of Riddick at on her website. Check it out.

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I'll be back Monday with Raine Delight and her thigh-clenching book STICKY MAGIC. Until then...

Bon Appétit!

Sloane Taylor
www.sloanetaylor.com