This week, I’m taking a little break from my sourdough series so that I can share with you the BEST leftover turkey recipe I’ve ever made. This year, we weren’t as overwhelmed by our Thanksgiving leftovers as we usually are. But despite our careful planning, there was a lot of turkey left, so I decided to try and make a pot pie in an attempt to use it up. I have never made pot pie before and I was so happy with my first attempt that I knew I had to share it.
I was not the only one who was pleased by my pot pie, my mother especially loved this recipe. That came as a huge surprise to me because she despises poultry But, she loved it so much she asked for a second helping! (A true Thanksgiving miracle.) Chloe loved it too, of course. She felt that the fresh herbs and the homemade turkey stock really elevated an otherwise basic dish. 10/10 from Ms. Chloe.
What I love most about this dish is how easy it was to throw together. I normally have the necessary ingredients on hand, aside from the turkey of course. But, it would be just as easy to run to the store and buy a rotisserie chicken if you wanted to make this after your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers have run out.
Notes
Double Crusted Pie
I decided to make a double crusted pot pie (because I think the crust is the best part), but it would be just as easy to make a top layer of crust and call it a day. If you decide to make it with a bottom crust, I suggest you blind bake it so the bottom layer isn’t soggy. I’ll leave the instructions for that below. (It's totally worth it if you have the time!)
Homemade Turkey Stock
This is so easy to do because it's very hands off, but it’s also time consuming because it takes 4 hours to simmer. If you have the time, I really suggest doing this. (But there’s also no shame in a shortcut!)
To do this, just save the bones from your Thanksgiving turkey and put it in a very large pot filled with water (I usually fill the pot with just enough water to cover the turkey bones). Then, add any desired vegetables (onion, carrot, garlic and celery are very popular) and any desired spices (salt, peppercorns, sprigs of rosemary and parsley are what I like to use). Bring the pot to a boil, and immediately reduce it to a simmer and leave it uncovered for 4 hours. Once it’s finished, strain out the turkey bits and veggies and use it however you like! You can also freeze any extra for a few months for later use.
Covering Ugly Pie Crust
So, I had a little mishap with my pie crust and it started to break on me. Insead of doing some shotty patch-work, I decided to grab my cookie cutters and get creative with the extra pie dough! It came out beautifully and you wouldn’t even know it was broken!
Turkey Pot Pie
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time (without blind baking the crust): 40 minutes
Cook Time (with blind baking the crust): 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total Time (without blind baking the crust): 2 hours
Total Time (with blind baking the crust): 2 hours, 50 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients for Pie Crust
⅓ cup water
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
1 cup butter
Ingredients for Pot Pie
8 Tbsp Butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1 medium onion
1 large carrot
2-3 celery ribs
4 cloves of garlic
1 4oz jar of diced pimento peppers
2 Tbsp of chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp ground sage
1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups of turkey or chicken stock
2 cups cubed or shredded turkey
½ cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
1 egg
Directions Pie Crust
Place the butter in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before starting the recipe so that it’s very cold.
Dissolve the sugar and salt in the water and stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes to ensure it’s also very cold.
Put the flour into a food processor and cut the butter into smaller pieces and add it to the food processor. Pulse the butter with the flour until you see small, pea-sized pieces beginning to form. Add the water mixture to the flour and butter mixture and pulse all the ingredients together until the dough starts to come together in a ball.
Dump the dough onto a floured surface and shape it into a circle.
Cut the circle in half and re-form each dough into flattened circles.
Cover both doughs with plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Blind Baking the Pie Crust (optional)
Once they have chilled, roll your dough out large enough so that it can fit into the bottom of a 10-12” cast iron skillet and fit the dough into the bottom of the pan.
Place the pan into the freezer for 1 hour so the dough can freeze.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line the pie dough with aluminum foil and fill it to the top with dry beans, rice or pie weights.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.
Directions for Pot Pie
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Prep the vegetables by dicing the onion, carrot, celery and garlic.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the flour to the melted butter and continuously stir the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until it’s browned and smells nutty.
Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and drained pimento peppers to the pot and cook them for about 4 minutes to let them soften a bit.
Then add the parsley, rosemary and sage and let it cook for another minute.
Pour in the wine, worcestershire sauce and your chosen stock to the pot. Once it is thoroughly combined, remove the pot from the heat.
Add the turkey, frozen peas, salt and pepper to the mixture and stir to combine.
Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and roll out the other pie crust to cover the top of the entire pan. Cut a slit in the top of the crust so that steam can escape.
Whisk an egg and brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. (This is optional, but it makes the crust look really nice.)
Place the pie into the oven and bake it for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the top of the pie is golden brown.
Allow the pie to cool for 15 minutes before serving. (This allows the pie slices to look a little more like actual pie slices rather than a casserole.)
Enjoy!
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