Turkey Potpie
Submitted by glory on August 24, 2002 at 5:10 pm

Makes one 10-inch deep-dish, 2-crust pie, about 8 servings

If you bake pies at Thanksgiving, make a couple of extra batches of your favorite pie dough recipe and set them aside for this pot pie. Or use a packaged pie dough that you can roll out at home to fit this large pie. Note: Russell Cronkhite is the former executive chef of Blair House.

This recipe makes 8 cups of filling, so be sure to use a large pie plate (about 10 inches) with deep sides. It's a good idea to make sure the dish can accommodate the filling, so first try to fill the pan with 8 cups of water. If you don't have such a pie pan, you can use a shallow round casserole. Or use a rectangular casserole dish and cover with store-bought puff pastry.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup sliced carrots, preferably baby carrots
1 cup sliced snow peas
6 tablespoons flour, plus additional for the work surface
4 cups Turkey Stock (recipe follows)
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups cooked turkey, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups freshly cooked peas or frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons fox point seasoning
Dough for a two-crust pie
Milk for brushing the pie crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the celery, onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the carrots and pearl onions and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Stirring constantly, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook until a paste forms. Still stirring constantly, slowly add the stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thickened to the desired consistency, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
Add the turkey, peas and herbs, stir to combine and set aside to cool to room temperature. (May cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.)

Have a 10-inch, deep-dish pie plate ready.

On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll 1 portion of the pie dough to a diameter about 2 inches larger than the pie plate and about 1/4 inch thick. Carefully drape the pastry over the rolling pin and then unroll it over the pie plate. Ease the dough into the pan.

Spoon the filling into the dish. Roll the second piece of dough just slightly smaller in diameter and slightly thicker than the bottom crust. Carefully place the dough on top of the filled pie. Gently press the dough over the top and sides of the filling so that it fits smoothly.

Using a sharp knife, trim any dough that hangs over the edge of the pie pan, being sure to leave the dough that covers the rim of the pan. Crimp the edges of the pie crusts together. If desired, use cookie cutters to shape any dough trimmings and place them decoratively on the top crust. Using a pastry brush or your fingertips, lightly brush the top crust with a little milk. Using a thin sharp knife, cut several slits into the top of the crust to allow the release of steam.

Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling hot, 60 to 70 minutes. Set the pie aside for 10 minutes prior to serving.

Per serving: 485 calories, 19 gm protein, 39 gm carbohydrates, 29 gm fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 15 gm saturated fat, 394 mg sodium, 3 gm dietary fiber

NOTE: I served this with rice pilaf and a mixture of snow peas and mushrooms.

Turkey Stock
(Makes about 5 cups)

1 turkey carcass
About 8 cups cold water
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 leek (white part only), thickly sliced
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 bay leaf
1 small bouquet of fresh herbs (a couple sprigs each of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme)
6 to 8 white peppercorns
2 cubes chicken bouillon or 1 tablespoon chicken base* (optional)

To begin, trim any remaining meat from the turkey, including from the leg, thigh and wing bones. If the turkey was stuffed, remove as much as possible from the cavity, but if a little remains, the flavor will only enhance the pie.

Using poultry shears or a chef's knife, carefully cut the carcass down the breast bone and back to form 2 large pieces.

Place the turkey carcass, including leg, thigh and wing bones, in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover the bones, about 8 cups. Add the carrot, celery, leek, onion, garlic, bay leaf, herb bouquet, white peppercorns and, if using, the bouillon or base.

Slowly heat the stock to the point where the water is just beginning to boil. Skim and discard any foam from the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer gently, uncovered and without stirring, for about 3 hours, until the liquid is reduced by about half. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, discarding the bones and the vegetables. Set the stock aside to cool to room temperature. (May transfer to a stainless-steel, plastic or glass container, cover and refrigerate for up to a week.)

* Note: When making a stock, instead of using salt, I generally use a quality bouillon or base to fortify the flavor. As most bouillon cubes or bases are for the most part sodium, I really think of this as salt with a little extra flavor! However, if you are using the meat and carcass of a brined turkey, remember to decrease the salt accordingly.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 20 calories, 2 gm protein, 1 gm carbohydrates, 1 gm fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 1 gm saturated fat, 70 mg sodium, 0 gm dietary fiber