The “Christmas Dinner” Pie

Is your kitchen still overflowing with leftovers from Christmas? Same here.  Every year I struggle to try to change it up with what to do with the mountains of leftover turkey, stuffing and veg hanging around the kitchen.  Usually I try to change things up with a turkey curry or a turkey chilli officially signalling that Christmas is over, however, this year I wasn’t ready to let go quite yet and made this “Christmas Dinner Pie” which was absolutely amazing, quick and easy to make and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink went in to it.

What you need..

• Left over turkey – I used the meat from two turkey legs
• 2 x Sheets of Shortcrust Pastry
• 1 x Grated Carrot
• 1 x Grated Parsnip
• 4 x Tablespoons Cranberry Sauce
• 8 Stuffing Balls
• 1 Handful of Chopped Parsley
• 250 ml Gravy
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 x Egg

Serves: 8        Prep Time: 20 minutes       Cook Time: 40 Minutes on gas mark 150

How its done…

• Firstly you want to preheat your oven at gas mark 150 take you pie dish and lightly coat with butter to stop sticking.
• Take your first sheet of shortcrust pasty and lay over the dish pushing down in all the edges.
• Take around two table spoons of cranberry sauce and spread across the bottom of the pie, then take your half  your stuffing and cover your cranberry sauce, set aside the other half of the stuffing.

• For the turkey mixture take your turkey and add to to the bowl the grated carrot and parsnip along with your handful of chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Start adding the gravy to the bowl a little bit at a time mixing to make sure everything is coated.  If you would like your pie have more of a “Pot pie” consistency add more gravy.

• Add your turkey mixture to the pie dish pushing it down to make sure the pie is compact.
• Top the turkey mixture with the other half of the stuffing and then spoon on top two further spoonfuls of cranberry sauce.
• Cover the pie with the second shortcrust pasty sheet, trim around the edges of the dish, seal the edges with a fork and poke a hole in the middle of the pie.  If you wish you can use the leftover pastry to decorate the top with something Christmassy of your choice.

• Take your egg and beat in a box, then brush the mixture lightly over the top so that it will go a nice golden brown.  Pop the pie in the preheated oven.  Keep an eye on the pie you want it so that the mixture is nice and hot in the middle which you can test by popping a knife in the hole we made previously, and you want the top to be nice and crisp and golden brown.