Ultimate Turkey Pot Pie

The perfect post-holiday comfort food

 Le Creuset's partner Erin Jeanne McDowell says that “the ultimate way to dress up Thanksgiving Day leftovers is by turning it into a turkey pot pie. This filling is about as classic as it comes, but you can always sub in chicken for the turkey, or add other leftover veggies you have, too. With a classic top crust and a crispy golden bottom crust too, it’s hard to beat this truly perfect pot pie.” 

Ultimate Turkey Pot Pie

Serving Size: one 9” pie
Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

3 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, divided

1 large or 2 medium (about 4 cups) sweet onions, peeled and diced

4 medium (about 2 cups) carrots, peeled and diced

4 medium (about 2 cups) celery stalks, trimmed and diced

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves garlic, peeled and mince

1/4 cup (30 g) all-purpose flour

4 cups (1 L) turkey, chicken, or vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup (118 g) heavy cream

4 cups diced cooked turkey meat

1-1/2 cups frozen peas

Double batch of All Buttah Pie Crust or other pie crust, divided into two 1" thick disks, wrapped tightly, and well chilled

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

Equipment:

Heritage pie dish

Large mixing bowl

Measuring spoons

Knife and cutting board

Rolling pin

Directions:

Tie the thyme and rosemary sprigs together with kitchen twine and set aside. In a large Dutch Oven, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are just tender, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and stir until melted. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the surface of the pot, then stir until completely combined. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the broth to the pot, and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Season again with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaves and the tied herb bundle. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon or spatula, about 8-10 minutes. Add the cream, and bring to a simmer. Add the turkey meat and peas, and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove the herbs and bay leaves.

Pour the filling onto a rimmed baking sheet or into a large casserole dish - the idea is something with large surface area to help the filling cool down quickly. Let the filling cool to room temperature (once it’s cool, it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).

To make the pot pie, on a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the disks of dough to be 2 inches wider than the pie plate on all sides. Gently transfer the crust to the pie plate, and gently press with your hands to make sure it’s fully touching the base and sides of the pan. Use scissors to trim the dough so there is about 1 inch excess all the way around the edge of the pan. Add the cooled filling to the crust, cover the pie with plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you roll out the second piece of dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the second disk of dough to be 2 inches wider than the pie plate on all sides. Remove the bottom crust from the fridge. Uncover it, and gently transfer the top crust to lay on top of the pie dish. Use your fingers to press the top crust and bottom crust together all the way around the outside edge, really pressing firm so they adhere to each other. Use scissors to trim the dough around the outside edge so there is about 1/2 inch of excess all the way around the outside. Gently tuck this excess dough under itself all the way around the pie plate to create a thicker edge. Chill the pie for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Towards the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water to combine. Brush the egg mixture over the surface of the pie, and use a paring knife to cut a vent from the center of the pie - an x or a few small lines work well. Place the pie on a parchment lined baking sheet. Transfer the pie to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the surface is evenly light brown. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake until the filling bubbles through the vents and the crust is deeply golden brown, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes more. If the pie begins to look too dark at any point, tent it with foil to protect it from browning any further.

Cool the pie to room temperature for the best slices, or serve it slightly warm. The pie is best the same day it’s baked.