Next-Day Turkey Pot Pie
The best thing to do with Thanksgiving leftovers? Top them with flaky pastry and bake.
Let's face it: Thanksgiving without leftovers is an incomplete holiday. Sliced turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing are some of the all-time most delicious things you can put between sliced bread. But there are always enough leftover turkey and vegetables for more than one meal, and eating sandwiches all weekend gets tiring, no matter how good they are. Enter this turkey pot pie, the best new resting place for your Thanksgiving remains.
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Reassembling your Thanksgiving dinner in this new form is easy. Just simmer all of the goodness together on the stove, and then transfer to a casserole, top with puff pastry, and bake. The recipe calls for turkey breast in the ingredients, but we think it would work well with any and all parts of the turkey that take to shredding. It's also heavy on the lemon -- we loved the brightness it brought to this hearty meal, but feel free to adjust to taste.
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With turkey pot pie this good, you'll find yourself roasting the iconic bird far beyond the yearly holiday. And with all the servings you'll get out of it, that's a very good thing.
Turkey Pot Pie for Another Day
Serves 4
4 cups shredded turkey breast
5 tablespoons good quality olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
Zest from one lemon, preferably organic
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, white and pale green parts thinly sliced
2 carrots, cut into small dice
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/3 cup dry white vermouth
1/3 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth or stock
1/4 cup heavy cream, or half & half
3/4 cups frozen peas
1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1. In a medium sized bowl, mix together turkey, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, shallots, lemon zest, and parsley; set aside.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, in a dutch oven; saute mushrooms over medium high heat until cooked through, and lightly browned; transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil, over medium heat, in a clean dutch oven; add leeks, carrots, and thyme, and cook until vegetables begin to soften (about 8 minutes); raise heat slightly, add dry vermouth, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Add flour to carrot mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute; whisk in the stock and cream, then simmer until sauce thickens (about 10 minutes); remove from heat, and allow to cool to room temperature.
5. Mix together cooled sauce, with the lemon-parsley turkey, mushrooms, and frozen peas; divide between 4 mini-loaf pans.
6. Cut 4 pieces from the puff pastry, large enough to cover each loaf pan, with 1/2 inch hanging over on each side; crimp edges with the tines of a fork; tightly wrap each pie in several layers of plastic wrap, and a layer of aluminum foil; freeze up to 2 months.
7. Cooking frozen pies: preheat oven to 400; brush tops of unwrapped, frozen pies with egg, and bake for 30-35 minutes, until tops are golden brown; let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Save and print the full recipe on Food52.
Photo by James Ransom
This recipe originally appeared on Food52.com: Turkey Pot Pie for Another Day
