Monday's Recipe - Making the Best of Leftovers

We had a friend in town Thursday night, in advance of a professional meeting on Friday in Baltimore. We took the opportunity to sharpen the culinary claws and make a leg of lamb, too much for two, and enough leftovers to make one of my favorite dishes from my childhood, what my mother called hash or shepherd's pie.

First of all we simply roasted the lamb with some garlic and lemon and some mustard for the crust. My wife roasted some potatoes around the meat and the dinner was outstanding. As is right and fitting, we had some nice red wine with dinner. Ice cream for dessert with a friend's homemade chocolate fudge sauce capped a wonderful evening.

But now, how to make the hash. Grind the meat (you can use roast beef or any other meat that you have left over) so the meat is finely ground. You can hand chop the meat, but you will want to use an appliance that will facilitate the process. My mother actually had a grinder that made the meat into the consistency of well, ground meat.

Make some whipped potatoes. Boil and mash (whip) the potatoes until smooth.

Put the meat in a casserole dish (you can add peas like my mother did) and add some liquid. Leftover gravy is best or use some beef broth. You should add enough liquid so the meat is moist but not swimming in liquid. Place the whipped potatoes over the top of the meat in the casserole dish and bake in the oven. Add a few pats of butter to the top of the potatoes. Serve when the potatoes have crisped up and just start to brown.

Enjoy!