Turkey & Cranberry Pot Pie
I don’t know about you all, but we have a TON of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. We cancelled our Thanksgiving dinner with family and close friends two weeks before the big day but I had already put down a deposit for a turkey from our neighbors farm. The turkeys (which we could see from our fields) ran happily on pasture all season long and if I’m being honest, they were looking quite plump towards the end there and I got nervous that we’d end up with a 30 pounder!!! Luckily, they let us snag the smallest one they had since our dinner turned out to only be three adults and one baby (who actually ate some turkey too as I blended it up with some steamed brussels sprouts, roasted parsnips and some bone broth.) She devoured her Thanksgiving feast and it was fun to eat with her! Anyhow, we have a lot of leftover turkey and I wanted to make something aside from soup, sandwiches and the usual suspects this year. This pot pie turned out AMAZING!!!! I mean holy crap, why haven’t I thought of doing this before? We had all the ingredients on hand and I made an extra batch of my favorite holiday cranberry port sauce (which is actually a recipe from my newest cookbook) and added it to the pot pie. This pot pie highlights my favorite flavors of the season and is a fun twist on a traditional chicken pot pie. I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as we did. I’m definitely making this again with our Christmas turkey and this time I won’t be nervous about having too many leftovers!!
Aside from making a batch of the cranberry port sauce, this pot pie comes together fairly quickly. There are multiple steps because you’re making pie crust too but don’t worry! I have a full proof pie crust recipe that is easy enough for anyone to tackle (honestly, it’s so simple you can’t mess it up!) Of course if you have plenty of your own cranberry sauce leftover you can use that instead. However, I really love the rich, seasonal flavors in the cranberry port sauce below that I would recommend whipping it up because it is just that damn good! This pot pie pretty much tastes like the best bite of food on your thanksgiving plate (where you’ve got a little bit of everything on your fork) all snuggled up in a perfect pie crust. It’s divine!
Happy leftover turkey eating everyone!
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm.
Turkey & Cranberry Pot Pie
Prep Time: 45 minutes Cook Time: 50 minutes Serves: 6
Cranberry Port Sauce- 1 cup Ruby Port
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- tiny pinch of ground cloves
- 1 (12 ounce) bag of fresh cranberries
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 1/4 cup honey
- pinch of flakey sea salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour- plus more for the work surface
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3-5 tablespoons ice water
- 2 tablespoons cooking fat (bacon, lard, butter, oil, or ghee)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- salt and pepper
- 2 medium size potatoes, finely chopped (no need to peel)
- 2 parsnips, finely chopped (no need to peel)
- 1/2 cup (or large handful) of brussels sprouts, quartered (smaller ones halved)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock or broth
- 3 cup shredded, cooked turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons cream or milk
Preparation
- in a medium sized pot, bring the port, cinnamon sticks, and ground cloves to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the cranberries, apple cider, and honey. Bring to a boil, stirring often, until the honey dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer until the sauce has thickened and most of the cranberries have collapsed, 15-20 minutes. Stir often so the berries don't burn on the bottom of the pan. Add a hefty pinch of salt and taste for seasoning. If the sauce seems to tart, add a touch more honey. Discard the cinnamon sticks.
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Cube the cold butter into 1/2-inch dice and place in a small bowl in the freezer to cool back down after handling. In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse 12-16 times or until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. With the machine running, slowly add in 3 tablespoons of the ice water. Pulse until the dough begins to form and a ball (it may still be crumbly, and that's okay as long as when you pinch it, the mixture holds together). If it seems too dry, add a touch more water. Do not overmix.
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in beeswax or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour (or overnight).
- In a large, deep cast-iron pan heat the cooking fat over medium-high heat. Once melted or hot add the onion and cook, stirring often until beginning to soften and become fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dried herbs and continue to cook for about 1 minute longer. Add the potatoes, parsnips and brussels sprouts. Continue to cook, stirring often until the veggies are all coated in the onion, herb mixture. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Slowly add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the veggies are tender and the mixture thickens up a bit, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the turkey, parsley and cranberry sauce. Remove the pot from the heat.
- In a small bowl whisk together the egg and cream.
- On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 1/8-inch thick round. Place the dough over the pot (being careful not to burn yourself) and fold the overhang inward while pinching to crimp the edge. Alternatively, you can transfer the filling to a pie pan and drape the crust over the pie pan (if you have leftover filling, save it for breakfast the next day and top it with fried eggs!) Cut vents in the dough. Brush with the egg wash.
- Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling around the edges, 45-50 minutes.
- Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary. Cooking times will very from kitchen to kitchen.
I am looking forward to creating this soon! We also had LOTS of left-over turkey as we limited our holiday seating at the table. I recently made your Farm Chicken Pot Pie with lots of roasted root vegetables. So tasty!! Thank you for all your inspiration!
love it! I hope you enjoy this twist on the pot pie!!
This was delicious! I’m wrapping the leftovers in puff pastry. Thanks for sharing this.