The French know what to do with leftovers--add cream sauce and wrap in puff pastry.
Me, I've been known to leave side dishes in the fridge until they resemble Chia pets. It's the truth. I have the best of intentions but then I get busy writing and before I can say Jack Frost, my ice box has become a bio-hazard.
But this Christmas,
Bandwidth and I decided to take leftovers and turn them into a savory pie.
Smoked Turkey Pot Pie
chopped, pre-cooked turkey
green peas, pre-cooked
glazed carrots, pre-cooked
sauteed mushrooms
finely chopped onions and celery (sautee)
flour, butter, chicken stock (quantities depend on how much turkey and leftover veggies you have, and the size of your casserole--start with 2 T of butter and flour. "Eyeball" the stock--it's hard to mess this up! I don't measure; I add a few tablespoons at a time until the sauce is the way I like it).
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package puff pastry, thawed
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, gray French sea salt
Saute onions and celery; add mushrooms. Set aside. In a separate saute pan, melt butter (I used 1/2 stick) and a glob (I used 2 T.) of all purpose flour. Blend well.
Slowly add chicken stock and bouillon to pan. Whisk. Aim for the consistency of a store-bought pot pie--not too thick, not runny.
Sprinkle flour over puff pastry sheets (there are only 2 sheets in a package) and roll out (again, choose your own thickness). Place 1 sheet into the bottom of a baking dish. Trim the edges of puff pastry and set aside. (You can roll these out and cut them with a cookie cutter for a cute "topper" on the crust.)
Add turkey/leftover vegetable mixture to the baking dish-put on the bottom layer of the puff pastry. Pour cream sauce over the leftovers and stir. Add a bit more sauce, if you like (depending on the consistency you want). Stir.
Top the veggie/turkey mixture with the second puff pastry sheet. Trim the edges, crimp (or fold), and score with a knife.
Garnish with leftover pastry.
Preheat oven, 400 degrees.
Beat one egg and brush it over the crust.
Place pie in oven and bake 25 minutes or until puffy and brown.
Top with gray French sea salt (we found it at Publix in the spice aisle).

It sounds complicated (and it was for me), but the preparations are so soothing, you will find yourself in a relaxed, Zen-like state.
I thought the cream sauce was the most challenging part; Bandwidth said the pastry was by far the hardest.
The taste is down-home and heart warming; it's true comfort food, the perfect one-pot meal on a cold winter night--and, it's a form of house cleaning.