Chicken, potato, leek pot pie

After making the stock featured in the last post, it was pot pie time. This one comes together pretty easily because I used store-bought frozen puff pastry rather than making the crust from scratch.

The recipe can be modified with any veggies and meat you prefer, so it’s really more of a method than a strict “recipe”. I’ve made it with Italian sausage and with leftover steak on previous occasions. It would be yummy turned into a kind-of Guinness beef stew. Hmmmm… pretty sure I’m gonna do that when the weather gets colder.

Ingredients

• 1 medium leek, cut into 1/3″ rounds
• 1 small shallot, diced
• 2 – 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 oz. frozen peas
• 1 pound of cooked, shredded or chopped chicken
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of chicken stock
• fresh herbs, if you have them on hand
• salt and pepper
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• olive oil, 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once the butter is melted completely, add the shallots and garlic to the pan and cook until just soft.

To this add the flour, 1 tablespoon at a time and whisk until fully incorporated. Let this mixture cook together, whisking regularly, for about 2 minutes. This process lets the raw flour taste cook out of the roux.

Start adding the chicken stock 1/4 cupful at a time and whisk the stock into the roux until smooth. Once all the stock is in the pan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the carrots, leek and potatoes. Simmer until the carrots and potatoes are just softened and the stock has reduced down by about half. Add the chicken, peas, herbs and salt/ pepper to taste. Stir to combine.

Remove from heat and place the pastry over the pan, tucking in the corners gently. It’s ok if it does not completely cover the pan. Brush the top with a small amount of olive oil and cut four 1″ slits in the top of the pastry too vent.

Bake the pot pie until the pastry is beginning to brown and is cooked through – 23 – 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

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This is great served with a salad or just on it’s own with a nice glass of wine. If you keep the stock and puff pastry on hand, it’s also a fairly quick and easy weeknight meal.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” 
― Virginia Woolf, A Room of One’s Own