French Meat and Vegetable Pie

The recipe Sunday was French Canadian tourtiere — the meat-and-vegetable pie Linda Briggs sent the recipe for from her aunt in Quebec. Ground pork, ground beef, mashed potato, onion, garlic, allspice, cloves, in a double-crust pie.

The recipe is below.

French Meat and Vegetable Pie

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 40 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
• 2 stalks celery, diced small
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 sheets refrigerated pie crust (or homemade double crust for a 9-inch deep-dish pie)
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Parboil the potatoes. Place diced potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 5–6 minutes until just barely tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Brown the meat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and pork, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Drain excess fat and transfer meat to a bowl.
3. Sauté the vegetables. In the same skillet over medium heat, add onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Build the filling. Return meat to the skillet. Stir in tomato paste, beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and allspice. Add the parboiled potatoes and frozen peas. Season generously with salt and pepper. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
5. Prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 400°F. Fit one pie crust into the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, pressing gently into the edges. Let any excess hang over the rim.
6. Fill and top. Spoon the cooled meat and vegetable filling into the crust, mounding slightly in the center. Lay the second crust over the top. Trim, fold, and crimp the edges together to seal. Cut 4–5 small steam vents in the top crust. Brush evenly with beaten egg.
7. Bake. Bake on the center rack for 35–40 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown. If the edges brown too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 480 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 520mg