Pot Pie: It's What's For Dinner

Okay, I realize I'm a little late with this post. I should've posted it on Friday, but alas, I ended up going shopping, against all original plans, and have been in a holiday prepping frenzy ever since. It's a good frenzy, but hectic, nonetheless.

Anyway, we were lucky enough to walk out of my brother's house on Thanksgiving evening with tons of leftovers, including a giant turkey leg. Awesome! So..on Friday evening, I set out to whip up a delicious dinner with said leg. I flipped through my trusty Cook's Illustrated recipes and found one for "Simple Chicken Pot Pie" - in this case, turkey pot pie.

Now, first things first, the recipe calls for homemade crust. I admire a lot of people - single parents, military families, teachers, homemade pie crust-makers. Seriously, mad props if you fall into any of the above categories. I'm not that ambitious in the kitch, so I used the remaining pie crust from the box of two that I bought for my pecan pie.

Here are the remaining ingredients and instructions, adapted for my situation and what I had on-hand -

1 roll of pie dough (I use Pillsbury and have always been pleased with the outcome)

1.5 lbs, roughly, of leftover turkey, shredded

2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth

1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 medium/large onion, finely chopped

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4" inch thick (I used two handfuls of leftover baby carrots)

2 celery ribs, cut crosswise 1/4" thick

Salt/ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1.5 cups of milk

1 tablespoon of fresh sage, minced

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

Instructions:

Adjust oven rack to low-center position; heat to 400 degrees.

Take the chill off the pie dough per package instructions.

Heat oil in dutch oven or large pan. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Saute for about 5 minutes.

Season w/ salt and pepper, to taste.

Transfer cooked veggies to bowl, add your turkey to the bowl; set aside.

Make a roux!! Don't be scared. It's easy, just have everything on-hand and ready to go before you start:

Heat butter over medium heat in the now-empty dutch oven/pan. When foaming subsides, add flour and cook for about 1 minute. (I whisked the flour into the butter until it was a nice, medium khaki color).

Whisk in the broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens (dip a wooden spoon in, create a line on the back of your spoon w/ your finger. If the line stays in place, the sauce is fully thickened). Season w/ salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over veggies and turkey, stir in peas and sage, and continue to stir until combined.

Adjust seasonings as needed.

To assemble:

Butter a casserole dish, or 13x9" pan.

Pour the sauce/veggie/turkey into the dish/pan.

Lay dough over the filling, flute and trim edges of the dough as needed.

Very important! Vent the pie - cut 3 or 4 1" vent holes in the crust.

Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbling away - about 25-30 minutes.

Serve hot.

It looks like a lot of work, but really, the bulk of it is just chopping the veggies.

It's a tasty dish that is perfect for a cool fall/winter evening. Great for leftovers, or non-leftovers.

Enjoy, and GO SAINTS!!!

Lynne

P.S. - Sorry for the lack of pictures. I forgot to get the camera out. Chalking it up to holiday brain.