pressing matters
We made it! Our Thanksgiving went off without a hitch, but more on that next time (hint: we’ve got another joint post, along the lines of this one, up our sleeves, so stay tuned!). For now, though, we’ve got more pressing matters to deal with. Leftovers. It’s not all that glamorous a topic, I’m aware, but we’ve all got them. And I’ve got a lot of them, each little tupperware container making me feel guiltier than the next every single time I open the fridge. So, I put an end to it today.
I declared it the day of the leftovers and, if I do say so myself, it was quite a success. First, the turkey carcass went into my biggest stock pot, along with some carrots and onions and such; several softly bubbling, very aromatic hours later, I had myself a mind-boggling amount of turkey stock. Much of the stock went into a Wild Rice-Turkey Soup later in the afternoon, but some of it also served as the base of the filling for these pot pies, which were the centerpiece of our Sunday night dinner.
And, about these pot pies: well, wow. I didn’t think I could actually be excited about Thankgiving leftovers, but these little pot pies—with their burnished puff pastry-lids and creamy, green-and-orange-flecked interior—have proved me wrong.
Even better, these pot pies could easily be made with leftover roasted chicken in place of the turkey. Which is what I think I’ll be doing fairly regularly in the next few weeks, as we ease out of this recently-departed holiday and seamlessly into the next. Between shopping trips and cocktail parties and travels and latke frying and tree trimming, we could all use a little bit of comfort food.
So, avoid your leftovers no longer. Bake up a few of these little pot pies and I’ll see you back here real soon for a Thanksgiving recap. I hope you all had a lovely holiday!
Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pies
Everyday Food
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
kosher salt and freshly-ground pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or, if you have it, homemade turkey (or chicken) stock)
3 cups cooked turkey (or chicken), cut or shredded into bite-sized pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg yolk
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium. Add onion and carrot and cook until onion softens, about 6 minutes. Add flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden, has a slightly nutty aroma and is the texture of cooked oatmeal, about 5 minutes.
Whisking constantly, add broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Stir in turkey (or chicken), peas and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture among four 12-ounce baking dishes; refridgerate until room temperature, about 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll pastry to a 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into four equal squares, one inch larger than dishes; with the tip of a sharp knife, cut vents into pastry. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; top pot pies with pastry and brush with egg wash. Refridgerate 15 minutes.
Bake until pastry is deep golden and juices are bubbling, about 35 minutes.
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I would cook a turkey, holiday or not, just for leftovers like those. An individual pot pie is such a comforting meal, and one that makes you feel truly taken care of.
Congratulations on your Thanksgiving success!
I was going to make turkey pot pies, I promise I was, but then ended up just microwaving myself a second (and third) Thanksgiving dinner instead. I don’t understand the need for leftover recipes when I can happily eat exactly the same thing all weekend! Nevertheless, these pot pies do look exceptional, and perhaps is you had posted this a little bit sooner I would have found myself motivated by those pictures (drools). Glad to hear Thanksgiving went well!
I saw these in Everyday Food and tried them. Can I just say that they looked nothing like this. They were, in fact, hilariously embarrassing.
The one bad thing about going out of town for Thanksgiving, by plane, is no fridge full of leftovers! I might have to do a turkey this weekend just to make the stock and eat up the meat in a variety of vehicles.
How was your heritage bird??
Beautiful!!! We cooked Thanksgiving dinner in Florida and drove back to Virginia sans leftovers, which I am very disappointed about. Especially after seeing these beautiful turkey pot pies!
I can’t wait to hear about your day!
I love pot pies as much as the next girl, but those look downright orgasmic. YUM! If I wasn’t already done with our turkey leftovers, I would make them tonight. I’ll have to hold onto this until we have chicken again.
I’m ashamed to admit that the last time I had pot pie was back in grade school. Crazy, huh? I think I need to fix that immediately!
Congratulations! You did very well. This year I “skipped” Thanksgiving by going to France for my grandmother’s birthday, but when I host it, leftovers end up in turkey lasagna. Always a hit
These look beautiful! What kind/brand of puff pastry did you use?
tara: Well said. I think the “truly taken care of” part is especially true when they’re invidiual pies, as with this recipe, rather than a large dish from which you scoop servings. Somehow more special.
Elizabeth: I can never muster much enthusiasm for the full-on leftover plate. I come from a long line of fans of just such a plate, though, so you’re in good company. : )
Half Assed Kitchen: Ha! Well, mine looked nothing like those on the cover of the magazine, so my food stylist aspirations took a hit too. : )
Whitney: It was wonderful! (It was also unexpectedly frozen, which lopped off a day of my dry brining, but all was well in the end, so I can’t complain too much.) Hope you had a wonderful holiday and are glad to be back in Chicago!
Andrea: Hmm, I’m distracted by the Florida mention. A warm Thanksgiving. Imagine! And a road trip up the East Coast? That sounds pretty good too. Hope you had a great one!
Sarah: Yes, chicken it is! I know I’ll be turning to this recipe the next time we roast a chicken.
Amanda: Oh, yes, indeed! It had been a while for me, too, and, truth be told, my memories weren’t all that fond. I’m happy to report that these pot pies set a new (much better) standard.
Dolce: France! Oh, that’s completely worth skipping Thanksgiving for. Hope you had a wonderful trip.
Kyla: Thank you! I really like DuFour puff pastry (which I can easily find at Whole Foods). I should warn you about the high risk of sticker shock upon glancing at the price, but here I really do think it’s worth it.
Ben and I agree: Kevin’s a lucky guy!
Those are beautiful! So impressed that you have the energy to do this after cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal. Did I mention that I’m so impressed?
Lara & Ben: Hello, you two! I’ll be sure to let Kevin know about this conclusion of yours. : ) Hope you’re both doing well.
Emily: Oh, after Thanksgiving, this felt like a walk in the park! Hope you guys had a great time in Michigan. Missed you at book club.
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