Lobster Shepherd's Pie

I have a confession to make. I really don't care for turkey all that much.

I know, I know, I can hear the screams ... how Un-American! ... how can you say such a thing! ... next to the eagle, it is our national bird!  But I'm sorry ... I just think it is bland.  Imagine a slab of turkey without mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy or cranberry sauce smeared all over it ... b o r i n g!

A few years ago we did not plan on having a big formal Thanksgiving dinner, so we decided to serve something different, something special that we don't eat very often. We had a Thanksgiving lobster. That's right, a lovely red (went nicely with the holiday decorations) lobster took its place among the mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms instead a big, fat bird.

Now hear me out on this. There are lots of advantages to serving lobster over turkey. You don't have to feel guilty about eating something that, only a few days before, was running around saying gobble, gobble, gobble. A lobster doesn't take up as much space in the refrigerator and it doesn't slide across the room breaking everything in its path if dropped on the floor. The family dog won't eat it for fear of having a claw permanently attached to its nose, and it doesn't take as long to cook, leaving more time to ... let's see ... enjoy wine!

Since we've been having larger Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of late, and lobster is a little expensive to serve a lot of people, we decided to move our lobster night to celebrate the New Year.

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This dish is based on an entrée I love at a restaurant we frequent in Fenwick Island, Delaware. They call it Lobster Shepherd's Pie. It really doesn't bear any resemblance to traditional Shepherd's Pie. It is actually an upscale, deconstructed version of shepherd's pie using lobster instead of meat. Whatever you call it, here is my recipe, good any time of the year.

Lobster Shepherd's Pie
(Serves 4.)

• 2 lobsters
• 1/2 pound of assorted fresh mushrooms (or a combination of dried (soaked & drained) and fresh)

• Butter

• 1 bag of fresh baby spinach

• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

• Olive oil

• Splash of clam or chicken broth

• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Mashed potatoes, recipe follows

Lobster Shepherd's Pie

Steam lobsters, shell and save claw and tail meat. Chill.

Chop the mushrooms. Warm approximately 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté the mushrooms until soft and liquid has been absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste. Can be refrigerated until ready to use.

When ready to serve, warm potatoes and mushrooms separately.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan, add garlic and cook a minute or two to soften, add the spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted.

Halve lobster tails and sauté tail meat and claws in a little butter until warmed through.

Assemble by dividing the mashed potatoes among 4 plates. Make a well in the center and divide the spinach among the plates. Place one claw and half a tail in center on top of the spinach and sprinkle the mushrooms around the potatoes.

Add the juices from the spinach and lobster together and add a little broth and/or butter if desired. Heat through and pour a little over the center of each dish. Serve with asparagus or green beans.

Mashed Potatoes
• 5 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled (about 2 pounds), boiled until tender
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk, warmed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mash or run the potatoes through a ricer. Whip the mashed potatoes together with the butter and enough milk just to make them fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.