Tourtière is one of those iconic dishes that gets served in Northern areas. While it hales originally from France, it was popularized in Quebec, Canada. Early settlers made Tourtière frequently, and it’s a filling and very tasty pie. I don’t normally like French Canadian stuff, but Tourtière and Poutine are acceptable.
Ingredients:
- pie crust
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 0.5 teaspoon dried sage
- 0.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 0.5 teaspoon ground ginger
- 0.25 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 0.25 teaspoon ground allspice
- 0.25 teaspoon ground mustard
- 0.125 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 large russet potato, peeled, quartered
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 pinch salt
- 0.5 cup finely diced celery
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 cup potato cooking water, plus more as needed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
First, make the spice blend. Mix together the salt, black pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, clove, and cayenne in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Next, make the filling. Place potatoes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer potatoes to a bowl, reserving potato cooking water in the saucepan. Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth; set aside.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir celery, garlic, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with spices, about 30 seconds.
Add ground pork, ground beef, and about ¾ cup potato cooking water to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is brown and tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes , turn off heat, and let cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375*F.
Place your dough in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Have the top crust rolled out into an 11-inch circle, and keep it for later.
Fill bottom crust with meat mixture. Smooth out the surface. Whisk together egg and water in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush egg wash over the edges of the bottom crust. Cover with top crust; press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough and crimp the edges. Cut small slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush entire surface of pie with egg wash.
Bake in the preheated oven until crust is well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.
Notes:
I have a vegan version of this, where I replace butter with margarine, and the meat with a Beyond Beef “ground pork” sausage. It turns out very well, and has been enjoyed by many friends who were surprised to find it was not real meat!
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