Turkey Pot Pie

As much as I love Thanksgiving leftovers, it's always a bit of a challenge to come up with fresh leftover ideas. Pot pie isn't a super creative idea in general, but I haven't yet made it with Thanksgiving leftovers and I've never shared a pot pie recipe here so I figured it was time. This can certainly be made with chicken as well (works great for leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken) or if you're not a meat eater, you can use loads of mushrooms and broccoli and other hearty vegetables.

I also really wanted to make pot pie because I recently rewatched the episode of 'The Office' where Michael eats an entire family-sized pot pie for lunch, falls victim to a food coma, and the rest of the staff use it as a way to leave early for the day and it's one of my favorite cold opens.

Ingredients [serves 6]:
¼ cup butter (½ stick)
½ onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes
3 sprigs thyme, stripped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup flour
2 cups vegetable broth
1½ cups diced cooked turkey
¼ cup peas
¼ cup corn
½ batch pie dough
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Start by turning the hob onto medium high and melting butter in a skillet that can be tossed into the oven. I like using cast iron. Once the butter is melted, toss in the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, thyme, crushed pepper, salt, and black pepper. Saute until the onions are softened and translucent.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir until the flour absorbs into the butter and coats the vegetables. This is the roux that will thicken the pie filling. Cook for a few minutes to make sure the raw flour taste is cooked out.

Slowly stir in the stock. The filling will immediately start to bubble and thicken so stirring in the stock slowly will make sure you're not left with a lumpy gravy. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and let sit for about five minutes.

Next, stir in the turkey, peas, and corn and cook for a few minutes to warm through. (By the way, if you notice, I also ended up tossing in some of the leftover green bean casserole we had. You can add whatever vegetables you like or have on hand.)

Place pie crust on top and brush with cream and pop the whole pan into a 350F oven for about 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling up around the sides and the crust is lovely and golden brown.

Let the pie sit for a little bit before serving, otherwise it'll be way too hot and you'll burn your whole mouth.

I like making pot pie this way, similar to a shepherd's pie preparation with crust just on top, because it means fewer dishes to do, it's easier, and honestly, I don't like how the crust on the bottom gets soggy anyway. This is nicer and I think it's a pretty gorgeous presentation.

The part of the crust touching the saucy gravy gets kind of fluffy and soft, like a dumpling texture, while the top of the crust is crisp and buttery and decadent. The filling is rich without being too heavy; it's luscious and flavorful but it's jam packed with vegetables. And unlike most pot pie recipes, I don't add any cream because I think that's what makes pot pie too dense and gives you that, "ugh, I ate too much and now I feel gross"-feeling. This is one of the nicest ways to use up leftover poultry; if you're roasting a chicken or turkey for Christmas dinner, make sure to set some aside so you can have pot pie for lunch the next day!

Here's the recipe page: