Leftover Turkey Pot Pie
Thanksgiving is just two days away. And if there’s one thing I love about Turkey Day it’s all the food. There’s turkey, cranberries, sweet potatoes, stuffing and of course dessert. While all those dishes are amazing on Thanksgiving, they’re even better the day after. I love Thanksgiving day leftovers. You could have the same meal all over again or you could make something new. While I usually make myself a turkey sandwich for lunch the next day, when dinner rolls around, I take those leftovers and create a whole new meal.
In the past I’ve made a turkey tetrazzini and a turkey stew, but I’ve always wanted to make a turkey pot pie. There was only one problem: I didn’t know how to make pie crust. Sure, I could’ve used a piece of puff pastry to lay over the top, but the best pot pies are always made with real, homemade crust. Luckily, a few weeks ago, I went to a crust-making class and I finally learned how to make crust from scratch.
Turns out the secret to a great, flaky crust is animal fat. Pork fat or lard is usually the top choice for pie crust because it doesn’t have any flavor. But you could also use beef or chicken fat. They’re not known as fat, though. Beef fat is called tallow and chicken fat is known as schmaltz. For sweet pies, I stick with the lard. But for savory pies, the tallow or schmaltz are great alternatives because you get an added dose of flavor in the crust that really kicks the pies up a notch.
Now that I know the secret to the perfect pie crust, I’ve jumped in with both feet. I’ve already made an apple cranberry pie and a maple pie and they’ve both been amazing! Sure, the filling is a huge part of that, but you can’t have a great pie without a great crust. And these crusts have been so. Damn. Good. They’re buttery and flaky and absolutely amazing. Honestly, I don’t know what I was so scared of. It’s really not that hard to make a pie crust, and once you have the basics down, you can whip them out two or three at a time.
Unlike most pies that have both a top and bottom crust, a pot pie really only needs one. While you could make a top and bottom, I prefer to mix up the filling in a cast iron skillet and then lay a delicious crust over the whole thing. Not only does the cast iron give the pie a rustic look, there’s less to clean up. See, you mix everything together in the skillet and then when it’s ready, you just lay the dough on top and cook the whole thing in the oven for about 30 minutes. In the end you have a delicious, filling meal that uses up all those awesome leftovers and looks stunning at the same time.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1-1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons schmaltz (chicken fat)
- 2 - 4 tablespoons ice water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
Pot Pie Filling
- 2 cups chopped potato
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3-4 carrots, chopped
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 1-1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon thyme, minced
- 3 cups turkey, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the crust
- Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the cold cubed butter and cold schmaltz. Using a pastry cutter, cut them into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs. (It's okay if some are bigger than others.)
- Slowly add the iced water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to come together.
- Dip your fingers in iced water to keep them cold and pack the dough into a ball. Press into a flat circle. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. (The dough can last in the fridge for three days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, just make sure to thaw it out in the fridge when you're ready to use.)
Make the Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bring salted water to a boil over high heat in a 3-quart pan. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, melt butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour until golden about 1 minute.
- Gradually pour in the milk and chicken stock and stir until combined and starts to thicken, 1-2 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and add them to the filling mixture along with the peas, thyme, turkey, salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Remove from heat.
- Place the dough disc between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out until about 1/4 -inch thick. Carefully lay the crust over the top of the skillet and pot pie mixture.
- Cut several slits in the crust, lightly brush with the beaten egg and bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve immediately.
