Mini Beef Tourtieres — The Recipe That Belongs on a Porch Table

Thanksgiving at the cottage. Year eight. Thirty-five people — the largest ever. Luc home from LSU, looking like a college student (which is: sleep-deprived but happy). Colette brought her art portfolio to show the family. Rémy's gumbo at the center of the table — year four of Rémy's Thanksgiving gumbo, and this year Mama didn't taste it. She didn't need to. She looked at the pot, looked at Rémy, and nodded. The nod is higher than "bon." The nod is higher than "très bon." The nod is: I know. I know it's good. I don't need to taste it to know. I taught his father who taught him and the teaching is complete and the tasting is redundant. The nod.

After dinner, porch. The full crew now: Mama, Pierre, me, Colette, Rémy, and Luc. Six on the porch. "Jolie Blonde." Mama's voice thin. Rémy's voice joining. Colette humming. Luc listening. The bayou below. The stars above. Year eight of this moment. The same porch. The same song. The same bayou. Different voices, different ages, different weights on the wooden boards. The boards hold. The song holds. The family holds. Always has. Always will.

Rémy’s gumbo gets the nod every year, and it deserves it — but I’m the one sneaking around the edges of the table, filling in the gaps. This year I brought Mini Beef Tourtieres, and the moment Mama saw them she said “oh, those” in a way that meant she recognized something old in them. That’s what I wanted. Something with French bones, something that felt like it had always been there, something that belonged on a porch table next to a pot of gumbo while someone somewhere was humming “Jolie Blonde.”

Mini Beef Tourtieres

Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 24 mini pies

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup mashed potato (plain, no butter)
• 2 packages (14 oz each) refrigerated pie crust dough (4 rounds total)
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease two 12-cup mini muffin tins or line with small paper cups.
2. Cook the filling. In a skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef with onion and garlic, breaking meat into small crumbles, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
3. Season and simmer. Stir in beef broth, allspice, cloves, thyme, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes until liquid is mostly absorbed.
4. Add potato. Remove from heat and stir in mashed potato. The potato binds the filling and gives it the traditional dense, savory texture. Let cool 10 minutes.
5. Cut dough rounds. On a lightly floured surface, unroll pie dough. Using a 3-inch round cutter, cut 24 circles for bases and 24 slightly smaller circles (2 1/2-inch) for tops.
6. Fill the cups. Press larger dough circles into muffin cups, letting edges come slightly up the sides. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of beef filling into each cup.
7. Top and seal. Place smaller dough circles over filling. Press edges together with a fork to seal. Cut a small vent slit in the top of each pie. Brush lightly with beaten egg.
8. Bake. Bake 20–25 minutes until pastry is deep golden brown. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 148 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 182mg