Planning meals to feed the family can
be tough on any schedule. It is a good idea to utilize
leftovers whenever possible. The trick is not in figuring out what to
make when you have them but lies more in planning meals around
expected leftovers. For instance, mashed potatoes make a great
side dish to many different meals and if I know I'm going to make them at
some point in the week, why not make enough to use in other recipes?
Try them in the following (easy), albeit americanized, Sheperd's Pie recipe that I've adapted
from several others over the years:
Yield: about 8 servings
1lb. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 16oz. can seasoned stewed tomatoes
(Italian or celery + onion)
1 can green beans
½ can corn (or better, leftover corn!)
1 egg, beaten
Approx 4-6 cups left over mashed
potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F
In
a large frying pan, brown beef and garlic. Add salt and pepper.
Drain
meat and place in a 2 qt. casserole dish. Pour tomatoes, crushing them
as you go, over meat. Top with green beans, then corn. Heat leftover
mashed potatoes in the microwave until warm and spreadable. Mound
them over the top of the casserole. Ideally, they should not be
uniform smooth but like rather like frosting a cake with the “peaks”
created allowing for a better brown. Brush with egg. Bake for
30 minutes. Broil 1 minute to brown the top. Enjoy!