Thanksgiving Potato Pie

Would it surprise you all if I tell you that I'm not cooking this Thanksgiving?  The Wilde kitchen will not only be quiet, it will be completely empty.  There will be no turkey in the oven, no potatoes on the stove and no tubes of cranberry sliced on my cutting board.  The lack of thanksgiving cooking does not mean that I'm just heading to someone elses home for the traditional feast.  Thanksgiving dinner will probably consist of pizza, or sandwiches, and I'm very excited about it.

Don't get me wrong, I love all holidays that revolve around food.  It's the main reason I like celebrating memorial day, picnics!  Thanksgiving is a long standing tradition in my family back home in Buffalo.  Every Thanksgiving of my childhood was spent preparing a dish and heading out to my Aunts house for a great big Thanksgiving dinner.  The dish that we would prepare?  Our classic Jell-O dish!

I have many memories of bundling up and hopping in the car, driving all the way to Grand Island.  The drive always felt like it took forever, although these days I know it only takes about twenty minutes to get there.  We would arrive in the house and shed our layers, slowly coming into a warm house that smelled of turkey.  That smell always brings you into the holiday spirit, if I make a turkey in the summer I still think of Thanksgiving.

We would inevitably wind up eating dinner at four o'clock.  The kids would be first in line to eat and my Uncle would always cut in front of one of us, telling us he was taller.  The adults would retreat to the dining room and the cousins would sit around the kitchen table.  At one point in the years we had dinner there, the kids were relocated to the living room, next to the dining room.  I think it was to let us feel like grown ups.  I spilled red Jell-O on the white carpet that year, the next year we were back in the kitchen.

This year is the first Thanksgiving that boyfriend and I will spend together, living in the same place.  What have we decided to do this year?  Go to New York City and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!  Since we won't be at home to prepare a giant feast this year, I prepared a little Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.  It's delicious, it combines everything you want and it doesn't take five hours to prepare. 

Thanksgiving Potato Pie

A Wilde Original

One year ago: Chocolate & Peanutbutter Macarons

This meal received rave reviews from boyfriend.  He deemed it one of the tastiest and creative things I've made in a while.  I have to agree, it was delicious.  It's like Thanksgiving in a bite.  I used my brand new Mini Pie Pan, birthday present!  If you are without one of these fancy tools, you can dollop the whole batch of potatoes into a 9-inch round pie dish.  The outcome will be just as delicious, just a little less adorable.

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 tbsp butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp kosher salt

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 lb ground turkey
1 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 cup chicken stock

1/3 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook potatoes until fork tender.  Using a slotted spoon and remove the potatoes to a large bowl.  Boil peas in the boiling water for about 4 minutes.

Add butter to the potatoes and mash to your desired texture.  Add milk and mash to combine.  Finally, add salt to taste. 

Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 1 tbsp olive oil and add ground turkey.  Cook until browned and no longer pink, about 10 minutes.  Add sage and chicken stock, stir.  Allow to cook down until all of the chicken stock is absorbed.  Remove from heat and add to the potatoes.  Add peas and stir.

In a small bowl, stir together cheese and eggs.  Add this to the large bowl and stir everything to combine.

Grease your desired pie pan with cooking spray and add potato mixture.  Bake for 20 minutes (mini pan) or 25 minutes (9-inch pan) or until the tops turn a golden brown.  Don't go for any longer than 25 minutes in order to not dry out the potatoes.

Chow down on Thanksgiving any time!