Salmon Shepherd’s Pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

The first thing I do is make the mashed potatoes. It really doesn’t matter how you make them; use whatever tried-and-true recipe for mashers you already know. You can even use instant, if you roll that way. The one change I make is that I peel my potatoes for this one.

Make your cheese sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan and whisk the flour into it. Cook on medium heat until it’s creamy and bubbling, about a minute. Pour the milk in slowly and whisk constantly until it just comes to a boil. It will thicken as it cooks, so don’t worry if it seems runny at the start. Whisk in the salt, pepper, mustard, and tarragon. Add the cheese by handfuls and whisk in until completely melted. I usually use cheddar, but almost any sort of shredded cheese would work great: sharp, white, jack, etc.

Next, take a 2.5L (or close) baking dish and crumble the cooked salmon into it. It doesn’t matter how it’s cooked because it’s just going to be crumbled and mixed with other stuff, so do what’s easiest. Canned salmon works just fine and I’ve even used smoked salmon and it tasted great! Add the veggies in with the salmon. I like to use peas because they’re pretty neutral, but there are many veggie alternatives that would taste great here. Add the cheese sauce and mix thoroughly. Finally, add the mashed potato to the top of the mixture and smooth evenly.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until the edges start getting a golden tinge. Let it rest for a few minutes after removing from the oven. Enjoy!