Sometimes I crave cooking.
No, I’m not talking about craving food.
Sure, I like to eat. But, for me, I find the process of creating a new dish, something that requires a few steps and some creativity, to be far more fulfilling than actually eating it.
Everything seems to slow down a bit when I’m in the kitchen. There’s something therapeutic about chopping and sauteeing, mixing and stirring.
I love to breath in the aroma of butter browning and listen to the sound of leeks sizzling away in the skillet. Freshly chopped sage serves as aromatherapy like no bottled fragrance can. Working cold butter into flour with my fingertips melts away the stress of the day.
Yes, it’s true that we always need to eat. But, sometimes, I just need to cook.
Thanksgiving Potpie
Inspired by and adapted from Perfect One Dish Dinners (yes, that’s an Amazon affiliate link)
Serves 6-8
This potpie was the result of an evening where I just needed to spend some time in the kitchen. I had roasted a turkey breast earlier in the week, and the leftovers served as a base for this flavorful potpie.
The recipe was inspired by one of my favorite recipes by Pam Anderson. I’ve made her chicken potpie with apples and cheddar biscuits more times than I can count. This time around, I had fall flavors on the brain, so I took the idea and ran with it.
While it wasn’t my original intent, this recipe serves as a great way to use up some of your Thanksgiving leftovers. In addition to leftover turkey, the filling is made with leeks, apples, and cranberries tossed in a simple gravy made with turkey drippings and apple cider. The biscuit topping puts leftover sweet potatoes to good use, as well.
If you’re anything like me, you may actually like this more than Thanksgiving dinner!
For the filling:
- 6 cups leftover turkey, shredded or cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 large leeks, sliced
- 1 large apple, peeled and diced
- 6 sage leaves, chopped
For the gravy:
- 4 tablespoons turkey drippings
(Can use part butter or oil) - ½ cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups apple cider, warm
- 1 cup vegetable stock, warm
(If you have leftover turkey stock, by all means, use it!)
For the biscuits:
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold
- 1 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese
- 1 cup sweet potato puree
- ¾ cup whole milk
Preheat the oven to 400F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and set aside.
Begin with the filling. Put the turkey and cranberries in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Let the butter start to get slightly brown. Then, add the leeks, apple, and sage. Cook until tender, about 8 – 10 minutes. Add the leek and apple mixture to the turkey and cranberries.
Next, using the same skillet (no need to wash), heat the turkey drippings over medium heat. Once the drippings are hot, whisk in the flour to form a thick paste. Continue to cook over medium heat until the mixture is a rich golden color, 3 – 4 minutes. Gradually add the cider and stock, whisking continuously. Bring the mixture to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until a thick gravy has formed.
Pour the gravy over the turkey mixture in the mixing bowl. Stir to evenly coat the mixture with the gravy. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
To make the biscuit topping, combine the pastry flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Cut the butter into 16 pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Using your fingers (or a pastry blender), quickly work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles wet sand with some small pebble-sized pieces of butter remaining. Stir in the cheddar cheese.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sweet potato puree and the milk. Add to the mixing bowl with the flour and gently fold with a spatula until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.
Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to drop biscuits on top of the filling in the baking dish. (I opted for 12 moderately sized biscuits.)
Bake the casserole for 35-40 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the filling is bubbly. Cool slightly before serving.
Please Note – The cookbook link in this post is an Amazon affiliate link. If you make a purchase after clicking on my link, I receive a small percentage of the sale price, which helps to keep My Kitchen Addiction up and running. Thanks!
