Turkey Pot Pie

Here in Canada, Thanksgiving sneaks up on us in early October—before the leaves are even done turning—so by the time our neighbours to the south are just starting to think about brining, we’re already deep into holiday mode. The bonus? It’s the one time of year you can actually find a whole turkey without hunting it down like some kind of rare bird.

Truth be told, I usually save turkey for the days after the holiday. On the big day, give me a slab of prime rib, rosy and dripping, or a goose fat enough to perfume the whole house. But the day after? That’s when I swoop in. There’s something deeply satisfying about nabbing a 15-pound turkey on clearance for the price of a few lattes and knowing you’ve just secured a week’s worth of dinners.

We ate ours straight-up for a couple of days—salt, pepper, maybe a little pan gravy—and then, inevitably, inspiration struck. Turkey pot pie. Because there is something both deeply practical and deeply luxurious about tucking leftovers into pastry and calling it dinner.

This time I cheated and bought the crust. (No shame. Good store-bought pastry can be a revelation.) The one I found was flaky and generous, with great hunks of butter right there in the dough—exactly the kind of crust you want enveloping your filling. You don’t need to make a production of it; pot pie is meant to be comforting, a little messy, and eaten with a fork in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.

Because really, when pie is on the table—especially savoury pie—you’re already winning.

One year ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two years ago: Chocolate Caramel Brownie Cups
Three years ago: Homemade Dashi for Miso Soup
Four years ago: Twix Candy Bites
Five years ago: Eggplant Parmesan

Turkey Pot Pie

Traditional Turkey Pot Pie with all-butter double crust. The perfect way to use up all your turkey leftovers!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 1 double crust all-butter pie crust recipe for a 9" pie plate I like to go with traditional methods, like Martha's
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 large sweet onion diced
• 5 stalks celery leaves are fine
• 4 large carrots peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups turkey stock or drippings
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp each dried basil marjoram and sage
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 5-6 cups chopped leftover turkey white and dark meat
• whole egg beaten (optional)

Method

 

1. In a large heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven, melt butter. Add veg and stir to coat. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle flour over and cook for 3-5 minutes more, stirring constantly.
2. Add stock, milk and seasonings and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in chopped turkey.
3. Place half of rolled out dough into pie plate leaving edges hanging over the sides. Pour half of filling into pie (or as much as you can safely fit). PLace second rolled out crust on top and roll edges into a thick crust (I like mine extra thick, which also helps keep it from burning).
4. Freeze whole for reheating later or preheat oven to 425°F, place on baking sheet, brush crust with beaten egg (if using) and bake for 35-40 minutes (checking halfway to ensure crust is not burning. If it is darkening too much on the edges, cover edges in aluminium foil and continue baking).
5. If cooking from frozen, place on baking sheet, brush with beaten egg (if using) and bake at 425°F for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 400°F and continue to bake until crust is golden brown and internal temperature of pie is 165°F. (If it is darkening too much on the edges, cover edges in aluminium foil and continue baking).