happy birthday Kim and Thanksgiving leftovers

Today is my friend Kim’s birthday. Kim is the daytime assistant at Les Gourmettes Cooking School (I assist with nighttime classes).  She is a talented chef,  yoga instructor, wife, mother to four, and a wonderful friend – Happy Birthday, Kim!

Above is a picture of our Thanksgiving dessert table; the apple tart, pumpkin pie, plus pilgrim hat, and turkey sugar cookies. Hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful mix of family, friends, and good food!  Here is a recipe to use up some of your leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. It is equally good with leftover stuffing as the bottom layer of mashed sweet potatoes.

Mashed Potato-Turkey Casserole

1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes
1/3 cup sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup diced yellow and/or red bell pepper
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 cup shredded cooked turkey meat
1 cup grated Monterey jack, cheddar, or a Mexican blend of cheeses
1 cup prepared French-fried onion rings
3 slices bacon, cooked crisp

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 x8-inch baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes evenly on the bottom of the baking dish. Spread sour cream evenly over top.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic powder over sour cream.

In a medium skillet, melt together butter and olive oil, add onion, bell pepper, and sage and saute until vegetables are tender, stir in shredded turkey to combine; evenly layer over top of sour cream.

Top with cheese and French-fried onion rings.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and crumble bacon over top, return to oven for 5 minutes.

Serve hot from the oven.

Serves 4