Thanksgiving Pot Pies

To use the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers Chris and I decided to do something at least a teensy bit more interesting than turkey sandwiches... we made pot pies. This had to be one of the easiest meals we've put together and it was very good. Chris shredded the turkey and stirred it up with the last of the stuffing and some of the gravy. I put the crust ingredients into the food processor, made the crust and rolled it out. We put the turkey/stuffing mixture into 10 oz ramekins and cut some crust to go over the top. Then we threw them in the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes.

I used the pot pie crust recipe from the Pastry Queen and I can definitely see using it again. The last time we made pot pies we used a butter pie crust and it seemed a touch greasy. This crust was flavorful and had a light, airy texture from the cream cheese. It was also super easy and not finicky at all which makes it hands down superior to a regular pie crust. The crust rounds just rested on the edges of the cups and when we pulled them out of the oven they lifted right off. We will certainly repeat this recipe with variations on the fillings. The great thing about pot pies, is just about any combination of savory meat/veggie fillings will work perfectly.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter
3 cups all purpose flour
10 ounces chilled cream cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the butter into 16 pieces. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the butter and flour until crumbly. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper. Continue pulsing just until the dough forms a ball.

Set the dough on a flat surface dusted with flour. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Measure the diameter of the pot pie bowls and cut dough rounds that are 1 1/2 inches larger in diameter. Whisk egg in a small bowl. Lay the dough rounds on top of the pot pie, making sure the dough hangs evenly over each bowl. Brush the dough lightly with the beaten egg. Bake the pies for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Serve immediately.