swirling a fork or spoon around the mashed potato topping gives this finished Irish turkey and ham cottage pie more eye appeal
Mark Guydish | for Times Leader
The ingredients for an Irish turkey and ham cottage pie, more complicated than I expected but not as difficult as it first seems, and well worth the work. Save a few minutes as I did by using leftover cooked turkey, which means you simply have to warm it, not cook it, at one point.
Mark Guydish | for Times Leader
A very tasty piece of Irish turkey and ham cottage pie.
Mark Guydish | for Times Leader
Long recipe, so short intro. For a fuller description (and options), visit thekitchen.com
For reasons irrelevant, MT made both a small turkey and a ham for Easter, leaving plenty leftovers from each. I Googled recipes using both, and settled on this — without looking closely at the complexity.
Though served late, it turned out great, with a nice flavor combo. It calls for uncooked turkey, but I used leftover, which saves a little time.
If you like to cook and like the ingredients, don’t let the apparent difficulty daunt. It’s not as hard as it first appears.
Irish Turkey and Ham Cottage Pie (thekitchen.com)
Parsley sauce:
1 large bunch fresh parsley
3¼ cups whole milk
2 bay leaves
1 small lemon
½ cup all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Mashed potatoes:
2½ pounds russet potatoes
2 scallions
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ cup whole milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
1 ounce cheddar cheese
Filling:
1 small green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
1 medium bunch scallions
1 large clove garlic
12 ounces cooked ham
1 pound boneless turkey
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon ground white pepper
Unsalted butter for the baking dish
Trim the bottom 2-inches of stems from parsley, tie in bundle and place in saucepan with 3 cups milk and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Turn heat off, cover and let sit. Finely chop remaining parsley. Juice lemon.
Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Trim and halve 2 scallions. Put both in pot, cover with water, add 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to simmer until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to boil over medium-high. Halve, core, and cut cabbage into 1/4-inch shreds (7 cups). Cut 1 medium bunch scallions into ½-inch pieces. Finely grate 1 large garlic clove. Cut ham and turkey into 1-inch chunks.
Add cabbage and 1 teaspoon salt to boiling water. Cook 2 minutes and drain. Transfer cabbage to a clean towel and squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned and the moisture evaporates, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Place 4 tablespoons unsalted butter and ¾ cup milk in a microwave-safe bowl and nuke until butter melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
When potatoes are done, drain and discard scallions. Return potatoes to the pot over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, to dry. Remove from heat and pour half of the butter/milk mixture over potatoes and mash. Add remaining butter/milk slowly, using a fork to beat until smooth and creamy. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Heat oven to 400°.
Remove and reserve parsley stems and bay leaves from the infused milk. Melt 1 stick unsalted butter in a medium saucepan. Add ½ cup all-purpose flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper.
Increase heat to medium-high. Slowly pour in infused milk, whisking until smooth. Add parsley stems and bay leaves. Reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Discard parsley bundle and bay leaves. Reserve 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for serving and stir the remaining parsley into the sauce. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pot the cabbage was cooked in over medium-high until shimmering. Add the turkey in single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce to medium. Add scallions and garlic and cook, stirring continuously, until garlic is fragrant and the scallions have softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add ham and cabbage, season with ½ teaspoon each salt white pepper. Cook until moisture has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add 2 cups parsley sauce and stir to combine; reserve remaining sauce for serving.
Coat a 2½-quart baking dish with unsalted butter. Transfer cabbage filling to dish and spread evenly. Spoon mashed potatoes on top to cover filling. Use fork to make striped/swirled patterns on surface.
Grate cheddar over potatoes. Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake until the cheese is melted and the topping is golden-brown, about 35 minutes. Broil on high heat for 3-5 minutes to crisp topping. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Rewarm parsley sauce and season to taste with lemon juice, salt or white pepper. Sprinkle pie with parsley and serve with sauce.
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