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Turkey Pot Pie the New England Way, with a Double Butter Crust

Turkey Pot Pie

This is the pie that justifies roasting a whole turkey. Carcass stock and a slow-cooked roux build a gravy deep enough to coat a spoon, loaded with both white and dark meat, root vegetables and sweet peas. A blind-baked bottom crust keeps everything crisp, and the lid bakes to a dark, blistered gold. Rest it properly and every slice holds its shape.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 8 People
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 615
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour for the pastry
  • 1 tsp salt for the pastry
  • 1 cup unsalted butter very cold, cut in cubes; or half butter half lard
  • 6 tbsp ice water plus more as needed
  • 1 whole roast turkey carcass broken into pieces
  • 1 large onion halved, skin on, for the stock
  • 2 stalks celery for the stock
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter for the filling
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 2 medium carrots diced small
  • 2 stalks celery diced small
  • 1 medium potato peeled, cut in 1/2 inch dice
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage finely chopped
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour for the roux
  • 3 cups turkey stock warm, from the carcass above
  • 0.75 cup heavy cream or whole milk
  • 4 cups cooked turkey meat mixed white and dark, shredded or diced
  • 1 cup frozen peas no need to thaw
  • 1.5 tsp salt to taste
  • 0.75 tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for the wash

Equipment

  • 1 9 inch deep pie dish glass or ceramic
  • 1 large heavy saucepan for the stock
  • 1 large skillet or Dutch oven for the filling
  • 1 rimmed baking sheet preheated in the oven
  • 1 Rolling Pin
  • 1 fine mesh strainer
  • 1 pie weights or dried beans for blind baking

Method
 

  1. Make the pastry first. Whisk 2.5 cups flour with 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and work it in with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the largest pieces are the size of peas. Sprinkle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough just holds together when squeezed.
  2. Divide the dough into two discs, one slightly larger for the bottom. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour. This dough can be made a day ahead.
  3. Make the stock. Put the turkey carcass in a large saucepan with the halved onion, 2 celery stalks and the bay leaves. Cover with 8 cups cold water, bring to a bare simmer, and cook uncovered 60 to 90 minutes, skimming any foam. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and keep 3 cups warm. Discard the bones and spent vegetables.
  4. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt and sweat 8 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the diced potato, thyme and sage and cook 2 minutes more.
  5. Dust the vegetables with 1/2 cup flour and stir constantly for 2 full minutes. The roux should smell toasty and coat everything in a pale paste. Do not let it brown.
  6. Pour in the warm turkey stock a ladleful at a time, whisking out lumps before adding more. Stir in the cream. Simmer gently 8 to 10 minutes until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and hold a line when you draw a finger through it. A thin gravy means a soggy pie.
  7. Fold in the turkey meat and peas. Season with 1.5 teaspoons salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper, tasting as you go. Spread the filling in a shallow dish and cool completely, at least 45 minutes, or refrigerate until cold.
  8. Heat the oven to 425 F with a rimmed baking sheet on the middle rack. Roll the larger disc of dough to a 13 inch circle and line the pie dish, leaving a 1 inch overhang. Prick the base, line it with parchment, fill with pie weights, and blind bake on the hot sheet 15 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and bake 5 minutes more until the base looks dry.
  9. Spoon the cold filling into the blind-baked shell and mound it slightly in the center. Roll the second disc to an 11 inch circle, lay it over the top, trim, then fold the bottom overhang up over the lid and crimp firmly to seal. Cut four 2 inch steam vents in the center.
  10. Brush the lid and crimped edge with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with salt. Return the pie to the preheated baking sheet and bake at 425 F for 20 minutes, then reduce to 375 F and bake 25 to 30 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the gravy bubbles visibly through the vents.
  11. Rest the pie on a rack 15 minutes before cutting. The gravy sets as it cools and slices will hold together instead of flooding the plate.

Notes

  • Serve with leftover cranberry sauce, buttered green beans and extra warmed gravy at the table. A sharp green salad cuts the richness.
  • If you have leftover turkey gravy, use it in place of up to 1.5 cups of the stock and reduce the flour to 5 tablespoons.
  • The filling must be cold before it touches pastry. Warm filling melts the butter in the crust and you lose the flakiness.
  • A top crust only is perfectly traditional. Skip the bottom, pour the cold filling into a buttered dish, and cap it.
  • Freeze the assembled unbaked pie up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 400 F for 60 to 70 minutes.
  • Leftovers keep 4 days refrigerated. Reheat uncovered at 350 F for 20 minutes so the crust re-crisps.