CHICKEN LEEK SHEPHERD’S PIE

Serves: 6 Her kids often request this dish for dinner, writes WimbushBourque. This twist on traditional shepherd’s pie is “actually leftovers in disguise,” she notes, but you’d never know. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer, well-wrapped in plastic, for up to three months.

1 tablespoon salted butter

1 ½ cups chopped leeks, white and pale green parts only, well washed

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

¾ cup chicken stock

¼ cup 35-per-cent cream

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, or

1 teaspoon dried

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

3 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey

1 cup frozen or drained canned corn kernels

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2. In a medium stovetop-tooven casserole, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chopped leeks; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Sprinkle with flour. Stir to coat the leeks in flour, scraping up any browning bits on the bottom of the pan. Slowly add chicken stock, stirring, and then cream. Reduce heat to mediumlow and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken slightly.

3. Stir in parsley, salt, pepper and shredded chicken. Remove from heat. Sprinkle corn kernels over the chicken and top with a layer of mashed potatoes. At this point, the pie can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to two days before baking and serving.

4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are light brown and the dish is hot in the centre. Serve hot.