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Turkey Potpie with Cheddar Biscuit Crust

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Turkey Potpie with Cheddar Biscuit Crust Romulo Yanes
  • Active Time

    1 hr

  • Total Time

    2 1/2 hr

This recipe could easily become a year-round favorite—simply substitute supermarket rotisserie chicken for the turkey. And as a special treat for the kids (or the kid in you), make individual-size pies, using eight 10- to 12-ounce gratin dishes.

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

For stock:

Carcass and skin from a 12- to 14-pound roast turkey
10 cups water

For filling:

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large parsnip (peeled), cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups roast turkey meat, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 (10-ounce) package frozen baby peas, thawed

For biscuit crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk
  1. Make stock:

    Step 1

    Separate parts of carcass and put, along with skin, in an 8-quart pot. Cover bones with water and simmer until liquid is reduced by one third, about 1 1/2 hours. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Set aside 3 1/2 cups stock (reserve remainder for another use).

  2. Make filling:

    Step 2

    Cook onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, and thyme in butter with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 12-inch-wide shallow pot (3- to 4-quart), covered, over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, uncovered, stirring, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

    Step 3

    洒上面粉和厨师,不断搅拌,2 minutes. Stir in stock (3 1/2 cups), scraping up any brown bits, and bring to a boil, stirring, then simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in turkey, peas, and salt and pepper to taste. Reheat over low heat just before topping with biscuit crust.

  3. Make biscuit crust and bake pie:

    Step 4

    Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.

    Step 5

    Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Add cheeses and toss to coat. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Drop biscuit dough onto filling in 8 large mounds, leaving spaces between biscuits.

    Step 6

    Bake until biscuits are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Cooks' notes:

· If using carcass and meat from a brined turkey, filling may need little or no salt.
· Filling can be made in a 12-inch skillet and transferred to a 13- by 9-inch baking pan before topping with biscuit dough.
· You can substitute another turkey stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth for the stock in this recipe. You can also make stock using leftover cooked chicken in place of turkey.

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Reviews (78)

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  • I make this pot pie at least twice a year. The veggies I use are peas, pearl onions, carrots and Trader Joe's Mushroom Medley. I also add two cups of extra turkey or crumbled cooked Italian sausage (mild, hot or a mix). For these contents, I don't put anything in a pan, do nuke the denser vegetables, such as carrots and onions. Meat and vegetables then go directly into a 4-quart Pyrex. Then, separately, I make a quart of gravy using a turkey-fat roux, chopped onions, turkey broth, splash of half-and-half, brandy, etc. This is poured over everything in the Pyrex and stirred to cover it all thoroughly. I make the biscuit crust almost exactly as directed but substitute a yogurt/milk mix for the buttermilk and drop it into smaller biscuits, enough to roughly cover the surface of my baking dish. Yes, this is one more example of a reviewer altering the recipe a zillion ways and acting like it's still the recipe (I usually laugh when I encounter this.) Point is, make pot pie your favorite way, then put this biscuit crust on it. And btw, lots of cheeses will sub for the cheddar.

    • ma10

    • Winnetka, IL

    • 1/7/2018

  • I didn't have the turkey carcass to make my own stock when I came across this recipe, but did have store bought turkey broth, other than that, I followed the recipe. It's a keeper. I preferred the biscuit topping to puff pastry that I usually use on pot pies.

    • mariahalt

    • Buffalo, NY

    • 12/29/2015

  • I'm only commenting on the biscuit. I loved the whole idea and I even did mine in the little cocotte pots like the picture. Overall, it was good and my biscuit turned out beautifully. Although, I felt that the cheese and baking soda make it salty enough, so a little over the top in the salt department for me.

    • Julie4bugs

    • Vancouver, BC

    • 10/15/2014

  • I haven't tried it yet - just researching some recipes for thanksgiving leftovers - but one suggestion i have is to add stock to any leftover gravy from the turkey dinner, and only add flour as needed to make the base sauce.

    • seanagh

    • Ottawa, Ontario

    • 10/14/2014

  • This is a fabulous recipe. I made it basically as written with the exception of the crust and perhaps increasing some of the veggies. Regarding the crust, I substituted a mix. The recipe is FAB. Next tiem I will reduce the flour to lighten it - I hope I don't ruin a good thing.

    • juliet_g

    • Dunedin, Fl

    • 2/2/2014

  • I was never wild about any pot pie but when we were given the carcass and remaining meat from a Thanksgiving smoked turkey my girlfriend decided to give this a try. It was FANTASTIC - comfort food at it's best. The fluffy-yet-firm biscuit topping makes it hard to beat. We did sub potato for parsnip and in subsequent preparation we have added some liquid hickory smoke essence to try to recreat the smoky magic of that first attempt. We originally made the stock to add to her dog's dinner...sorry Maggie, this smoky stock was too good to waste on kibble!

    • kenren10

    • Claymont, DE

    • 1/11/2014

  • Absolutely wonderful! I did not have a parsnip so I used a potato as others suggested. I also made my turkey stock the day before and simmered it for several hours. This recipe is the best one I have come across for leftover turkey!

    • Anonymous

    • Los Altos, CA

    • 12/2/2013

  • Filling was too thin so I made a roux and added that to thicken everything. Otherwise, awesome recipe.

    • hambone64

    • Brooklyn

    • 11/30/2013

  • My husband said "You could market this!" Subbed parsnip with 1 cup corn. Otherwise no changes.

    • dherron

    • Grand Rapids, MI

    • 11/18/2013

  • I made this for my family, and everyone enjoyed it. I didn't have any parsnips, but it wasn't missed. I also made the biscuits using 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 1/2 cups white flour and it was fine. I just saved this recipe, and will make again.

    • liketoeat

    • 5/4/2013

  • Had this for an after Thanksgiving dinner with close friends and it was a hit with everyone. I used cremini mushrooms which stayed nicely firm. The parsnips are a great addition and make this different from a run-of-the-mill pot pie. The biscuit topping was crisp and tasty, although I will add some cayenne next time.

    • Anonymous

    • Boxborough, MA

    • 11/27/2012

  • Delicious! I used carrots, peas & brussel sprouts because that's what I had. I added some white wine to the veggies before the stock, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. The biscuits were to die for. A fantastic use of Thanksgiving leftovers.

    • stacycal

    • Philadelphia

    • 11/27/2012

  • Delicious. My kids loved this. Very easy to make and the left overs were great too.

    • marciap123

    • Boston, MA

    • 10/1/2012

  • 是的,这是夏天的中间,我买了一个土耳其人ey, a turkey the size of a small child. Even with three teenaged boys in the house, I had leftovers. So what to do with those 20 plus leftover pounds of meat? Make this recipe! I happened to have some duck fat sitting around, so i sauteed the veggies in that (fat, how I love thee). I had already made the carcass into stock and just hadn't gotten around to the soup thing-lucky me, so I threw in about 4 and1/2 c. of that too (I had upped the veggies, and added potatoes). I do feel the parsnips were worth that quick trip to the market-they added great flavor to the dish, but I'd still absolutely add the 'taters too. I also added bay leaf and garlic to the broth, along with some other seasonings like more thyme, some parsley, poultry seasoning and some paprika. Bottom line is this is a great dish with some wiggle room to throw in hat you've got. Be sure to taste and correct your seasonings to your own taste. The extra broth worked out for me because I had upped everything else; the biscuits did suck up some of it. And they're easy and tasty even alone! A keeper!

    • hadeshnds

    • Saratoga

    • 8/1/2012

  • This was a super tasty way to use leftover turkey. And gave it a new twist so that it didn't taste like leftovers.

    • chefmd

    • Houston

    • 3/10/2012

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