Deep-filled Leftover Turkey Pie Recipe
What to do with leftover turkey and vegetables after Christmas or Thanksgiving. Give this Deep-filled Leftover Turkey Pie recipe a try.
15 mins
60 mins (20 mins cooking time + 40 mins baking time)
Medium
6 to 8 portions
Ingredients
- 1 x ready-rolled shortcrust pastry (375g)
- 1 x ready-rolled puff pastry (375g)
- Butter for greasing the pie dish
- 800g potatoes
- 500g bacon, chopped into lardons
- 1kg mixed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, peas, diced carrots, sweet corn, green beans)
- 500g cooked (leftover) turkey, without skin and bones, cut roughly into 2 to 4cm chunks
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
- 100g butter
- 100g plain flour
- 250ml chicken stock
- 250ml whole milk
Method
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 5.
- Unroll the shortcrust and puff pastry, leaving the pastry on the baking sheets provided.
- Peel and cut the potatoes roughly into 2cm cubes. Boil until they are cooked through but still firm. Be sure not to overcook otherwise it will crumble.
- Lightly grease a 20cm x 30cm pie dish with butter, and line the bottom and sides with a generous layer of the shortcrust pastry.
- Blind bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Blind baking involves lining the uncooked pastry case with baking parchment (parchment paper) and then filling it with weights. These weights are usually referred to as baking beans. They are important, as they help to keep the pastry in shape as it cooks.
- Once done, set aside to cool.
- In a large, non-stick deep frying pan, heat the oil, then fry the bacon. Once browned, scoop the bacon from the frying pan and set aside.
- Reduce the heat, add the vegetables into the frying pan and cook until they have softened. If you are using frozen vegetables, defrost them in a microwave first. Skip this step altogether for already cooked leftover vegetables.
- Make the roux sauce (see instructions below).
- Add the turkey and bacon to the vegetables in the frying pan, and stir in the roux sauce to make the filling.
- Spead the potato into a layer in the pie dish and then spoon your filling on top.
- Roll out the puff pastry for the pie topping. Brush the edges of the pastry in the pie dish with the beaten egg, then cover with the puff pastry, taking care to tuck in the edges.
- Brush the top of the leftover turkey pie with the beaten egg, and make a few incisions with a sharp knife for steam to escape.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the pastry is risen and golden-brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
To make the roux sauce:
A roux (pronounced ‘roo’) is the name given to the cooked mixture of butter and plain flour that thickens and forms the base of various sauces. It consists of equal quantities of butter and plain flour. The fat is melted, the flour is mixed through over a gentle heat. The hot liquid is then gradually mixed into the paste to make a silky sauce which needs a few minutes more cooking before serving or using.
- In two saucepans, warm the chicken stock and the milk separately (you can microwave in separate dishes). Do not combine the chicken stock and milk.
- In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter over a low heat.
- Add the flour and combine with the melted butter using a whisk. Cook for at least 2 minutes to “cook out” the raw flour.
- Add the warm chicken stock to the flour mix in batches, ensuring that each batch is mixed through thoroughly before the next.
- Now repeat the process by adding the warm milk in batches, again ensuring that each batch is mixed through thoroughly.
- Keep adding the milk in batches, and stirring with the whisk to ensure a lump-free, velvety sauce with the consistency of double cream. You may not need all of the milk.
