Tourtière is a French-Canadian dish that literally translates to, “type of meat pie.” And what a beautiful thought that is. Let’s elaborate, shall we? Picture a homemade, buttery, flakey crust enclosing a savory, hearty filling, bursting with tender potatoes, sweet onions, and two kinds of juicy, satisfying meat: ground pork and ground beef. Mouthwateringly delicious, stick-to-the-ribs filling, and surprisingly, not that time consuming to make… that’s Tourtière. A wonderful, tasty masterpiece!
Ingredients
For the pie pastry:
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring a worksurface
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup butter, chilled
- 6-7 tablespoons water, ice-cold
For the meat filling:
- 2 large russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
Directions
Step 1 –Combine the flour and the salt in a large bowl.
Step 2 –Cut the butter into the flour mixture until it forms a rough, crumbly texture.
Step 3 –Add the ice water, one tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together.
Step 4 –Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it, enclose it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
Step 5 –In a medium saucepan, add the potatoes with enough water to cover them by 2 inches and bring to a boil.
Step 6 –Reduce the heat to medium-high and boil until the potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes.
Step 7 –Reserve 1/2 cup of the potato water and drain the rest.
Step 8 –In a bowl, mash the potatoes.
Step 9 –In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, the onions, and the garlic and sauté until the onions have softened, about 3 minutes.
Step 10 –Add the ground pork and the ground beef to the onion mixture and cook until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
Step 11 –Mix the poultry seasoning, the cinnamon, the cloves, the nutmeg, the salt, the pepper, and the reserved potato water into the meat mixture and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Step 12 –Transfer the skillet from the heat and stir the mashed potatoes into the meat mixture.
Step 13 –Allow the meat mixture to cool slightly.
Step 14 –Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step 15 –On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough in half.
Step 16 –Flatten 1 dough ball with your hands and roll it out to 12-inches in diameter.
Step 17 –Place the rolled pastry into a 9-inch pie plate, top with the meat mixture, and brush around the outer edge of the pastry with the beaten egg.
Step 18 –Roll out the remaining pastry and place it on top of the filling.
Step 19 –Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and pinch or flute the edges, then brush the crust with the egg wash and cut vent holes.
Step 20 –Bake the pie until the pastry is golden-brown and the meat is no longer pink, about 30-35 minutes.
Step 21 –Transfer the meat pie from the oven and let it cool at least 10 minutes.
Step 22 –Serve.
