Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Every Thanksgiving, I see countless posts debating the best and worst pies to adorn your dinner table. Well, I contest that the best pies in the world are not made from pumpkins, apples, pecans, blueberries, or any other fruit. My favorite pies are packed full of meat! Lamb, beef, fish, chicken, or…… Turkey! Those are the types of pies I’m interested. Give me a flaky buttery crust, chock full of beautifully stewed and tender meat over those sweet counterparts all day. So here is my version of a leftover Thanksgiving turkey pot pie.
Ingredients:
For the crust
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
1/2 ice water, plus more as needed
For the filling
2 store-bought pie crusts depending on size of your pie dish
3 cups leftover turkey, cut into small cubes
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups of your beautiful overnight turkey stock, or store-bought chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
1 medium onion, diced
2 shallots, diced
3-4 cloves garlic crushed with garlic press
2 carrots, small dice
1 parsnip, small dice
1 medium potato, small dice
1 celery stalks, diced
1 small celery root bulb, peeled and small dice (you can use 3 stalks of celery if you prefer)*
Fresh chive, rosemary, thyme, and sage removed from stem and finely diced (amounts are up to you, this is your pie)
1-2 Tbsp Zonk Foods Holiday Roast Seasoning (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the crust
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt together. Add the cold cubed butter on top. Using a pastry cutter, food processor, or two forks, cut or pulse the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse meal. You’re looking for pea-sized bits of flour-coated butter. A few larger bits of butter is OK.
- Drizzle the cold water over the surface of the flour mixture, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and stir after each addition. Stop adding water when the dough comes together easily and begins to form large clumps. The dough will feel moist and a little sticky, but not feel overly wet. Do not add any more water than you need to.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Using floured hands, gently bring the dough mixture together into a ball. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough in half. Using your hands, gently flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disc.
- Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days before using in a pie recipe.
- After refrigerating, the dough is ready to roll out and use.
For the filling
- I like to start by preheating the oven to 400°F, and then getting to work on my vegetables. As I mentioned in the ingredients, I like to do a small cubed dice on all of the vegetables for a few reasons. They cook faster, you can get different combinations of veggies and turkey on your spoon or fork in each bite, and they just look good. You can cut them larger if you want, just try to keep everything uniform size so they cook evenly.
- In a large heavy skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add all your vegetables, and cook until soft and golden. Add your herbs and garlic, then sprinkle in the flour and cook for an additional minute. Then whisk in the stock vigorously to avoid any lumps. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low and allow to thicken, stirring often, for 10 minutes or so. Stir in the turkey, then season to taste with Zonk Foods Holiday Roast Seasoning and salt and pepper.
- Arrange six 10-ounce ramekins (or use a smaller number of larger ones, or one very large pie dish) on a baking sheet. Roll out the pie crusts on a floured surface until large enough to make rounds to cover the ramekins with a little extra around the edges. Extra dough around the edges can be balled up and rolled out again, as necessary. It should be about 1/4-inch thick.
- Spoon the filling into the ramekins and cover with the crust rounds. Tuck the edges back under, and slash the top to vent it. Beat the egg in a small bowl with a tablespoon of water, then brush it into the crust surfaces. Bake until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Enjoy!