By Dylan McDonough
Remember The Bugle Blast issue when I went to a cooking class at Sur la Table? I was making food with leftover Thanksgiving food. Here is one of the recipes I made with leftovers, “Turkey Pot Pies with Cheddar Biscuit Topping”.
Leftover Turkey Pot Pies with Cheddar Biscuit Topping
Filling:
¼ cup unsalted butter 1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into ½ inch pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons dry sage
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ lb. white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup whole milk or half and half
4 cups roasted turkey meat, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 (10 ounce) package frozen baby peas, thawed
Biscuit crust:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely-grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
¾ stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ¼ cup buttermilk
To make filling: Heat a 12-inch oven-safe straight-sided pan over medium-low heat; add butter. When butter melts and foam subsides, add onion, carrots, celery, potato, garlic, thyme, and sage and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are almost tender, 7 to 9 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in stock and milk, scraping up any brown bits, and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in turkey and peas. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside while you make biscuit topping.
Preheat oven to 400˚F with rack in middle.
To prepare biscuits: Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper into a medium bowl. Add cheese and thyme; 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 to 12 mounds, leaving spaces between biscuits.
Transfer pan to preheated oven and bake until biscuits are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
