Turkey Pot Pies
Leftover turkey from the Thanksgiving feast can be the basis of many great meals. Sandwiches and soups are the usual way to use up the bird, but for something worthy of company, try these pretty pot pies. If you remembered to make some extra dough when assembling your Thanksgiving pies, the dish will come together even more quickly. If you didn’t, you can use purchased pie dough or even prepared puff pastry if you don’t want to make the dough from scratch.
Ingredients
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) (4 oz./125 g) unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz./75 g) all-purpose flour
- 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) turkey or chicken stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 lb. (750 g) cooked shredded or chopped turkey (about 4 cups)
- 1 cup (5 oz./155 g) fresh or frozen peas
- 2 rolled-out rounds basic pie dough
- 1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp. water
Directions
Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the stock 1/2 cup (4 fl. oz./125 ml) at a time, making sure each addition is completely incorporated before adding more. Add the nutmeg, cayenne and thyme to the sauce and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir the turkey and peas into the sauce and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and divide evenly among four 16-oz. (500 ml) cocottes, or among six 12-oz. (375-ml) mini cocottes.
Using a sharp knife, cut out four dough rounds about 5 inches (13 cm) in diameter, or about 1 inch (2.5 cm) larger than the diameter of your mini cocottes. (Cut out 6 rounds if using 6 mini cocottes.) Place a piecrust round on top of each cocotte and crimp the edges to seal. Brush with the egg white and cut a small air vent in the top of each dough round.
Place the pot pies on a baking sheet and bake until the crusts are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 4 to 6 pot pies; serves 6 to 8.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen