Turkey Shepherd's Pie

I came home from work early yesterday, and called out sick today. I've been fighting something(s) for over a month now, and with the weather change, I got worse. But by this evening, I was feeling a bit better, and hungry for something really comforting. I was tempted to make a big pot of soup, but I've seen a ton of Shepherd's Pie recipes recently, and thought I'd come up with one of my own. I thought Thanksgiving flavors would be a good idea, and it basically turned into Thanksgiving dinner in one dish.

The Ingredients:

-1 1/3 pounds ground turkey
-3 Idaho potatoes
-1 Spanish onion, medium diced
-1 large carrot, medium diced
-2 stalks celery, medium diced
-Salt and Pepper to taste
-1 stick butter
-10 leaves sage, torn, plus 6 or 7 leaves sage, minced
-4 sprigs of thyme
-1 tbsp flour
-1/2 cup white wine
-2 cups chicken stock (I think this made the end result a bit too soupy, so next time I'll probably use 1 - 1 1/2 cups)
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

The Directions:
-Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In large saute pan, brown the ground turkey. In small saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter and add 10 torn leaves of sage.
-Peel potatoes, slice or large dice, and put in medium saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook until tender.
-When turkey is browned, add carrots, celery, onions, thyme sprigs and minced sage. Sweat for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add 1-2 tbsp of the melted, sage-infused butter to turkey. Stir in 1 tbsp flour, and cook for 2-3 minutes. (This will make a roux, which will thicken the sauce). Deglaze pan with wine (if you have it on hand - no need to but wine if you don't have it), and let reduce 1-2 minutes. Add stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and simmer until potatoes are ready. Sauce will thicken and become a gravy.
-When potatoes are tender, drain, and mash with remaining sage-infused butter and the heavy cream.
-Spray baking dish with pan spray, then turn turkey mixture into pan. Spread potatoes evenly over the turkey mixture. Top potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 15 minutes, until bubbly. (I threw it under the broiler for a minute to get it really bubbly). Let rest 5-10 minutes then serve.

This was exactly what I needed to make me feel better. It was a bit too soupy, so next time I'll cut back on the stock. But it was like a cross between chicken and vegetable soup and Thanksgiving dinner! It was so comforting, and full of flavor. And while making this, I kept thinking of ways to twist the basic recipe - adding tomatoes and basil, topping with polenta, or chipotles and tomatoes, topping with sweet potatoes... And this could totally be made with Thanksgiving leftovers - just use left over turkey meat, throw in leftover vegetables, and use left over mashed or sweet potatoes! I'll definitely be trying this again!