Winter Vegetable Pot Pie with an Herb Crust
Behold, the humble turnip!
Whole, above, and chopped up with carrots below:
The list of vegetables in this recipe was what hooked me. Turnips and turnip greens (I couldn't find the greens in spite of schlepping through three different stores -- I'm making a mental note to add turnips to the measured-to-scale garden map my cousin swears I will be glad I drafted, now, in January, draft it now) (the girl loves a map -- once at Disneyworld when we were teenagers, she whipped out a map, a watch, a scrap of paper, and a stub of pencil and declard she would draft us an itinerary for making it to all corners of the theme park -- we ripped it all from her hands and crumpled the paper and threw it away because that sort of obsession with detail just didn't seem very Disney), leeks and shallots, and freshly-minced thyme. Can't you smell it? Because I could. And did.
It's really good -- the butter and the cream and the white wine make sure of that (although there's small amounts of each). The original recipe is here and it has its own recipe for herbed crust but I just used my own piecrust and kneaded in some fresh chopped parsley and thyme. You'll notice I don't have a photo of the final product and that's because it was dark outside by the time I pulled this pie out of the oven and therefore there was no nice natural light and the photos I did take just weren't quite up to snuff. But if you're anything like me, you see visions of pot pies dance before your eyes whenever you tally up a list of the most comforting comfort foods, and so you don't need me and my photos anyway. Close your eyes right now and conjure it up.
This recipe is big. It makes enough to feed crowd. Here's my version:
Winter Vegetable Pot Pie with an Herb Crust
Serves 8
2 pounds chicken breasts (either boneless or on the bone)
2 pounds chicken thighs (either boneless or on the bone)
4 to 6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large bunch turnip greens (about 8 to 10 ounces), center stem cut away, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces -- if you can't find turnip greens you could use kale or spinach or chard or...)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only), sliced
2 large shallots, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine (share the rest alongside the pie!)
1/2 cup whipping cream
and
A single piecrust with 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley and one tablespoon chopped fresh thyme kneaded in before rolling (you can use your own piecrust recipe or my recipe for Never-Fail Piecrust or this herb crust recipe)
Butter a 4-quart baking dish. Place chicken in a heavy large pot. Add just enough broth to cover and bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until chicken is just cooked through, skimming the surface occasionally, about 20 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to plate and cool.
Add carrots and turnips to broth in pot. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to the prepared baking dish. Add turnip greens to broth and cook just until wilted, about 1 minute. Using the slotted spoon, transfer greens to colander, drain well, and add to the vegetables in the baking dish.
Strain the broth and reserve 4 cups (add more broth if you didn't strain 4 cups worth). If you used chicken on the bone, remove the skin and bones and cut meat into bite-sized pieces. If you used boneless, skinless chicken, chop it into bite-sized pieces. Add chicken to vegetables in baking dish.
Melt the butter in the same pot over medium heat. Add leeks, shallots and thyme. Sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add flour and stir 2 minutes. Stir in 4 cups broth and white wine. Increase heat to high and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add cream and boil until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking frequently, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour gravy over mixture in dish. Stir to blend. Filling can be made 1 day ahead and stored covered and refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out crust dough on parchment paper to a shape slightly larger than your baking dish. Lay it over the top of the dish, trim the dough overhang, and tuck the dough edge inside the dish. If desired, roll out dough scraps to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes free-form or using cookie cutters. Little leaves are pretty. I used hearts. Brush the bottom of the cutouts with water and place on crust. Cut slits in crust to allow steam to escape.
Place pot pie on a rack with a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch dripping (line sheet with foil for even easier clean-up) and bake until crust is golden and gravy is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
