Turkey & Vegetable Potpie with Biscuit Crust

At Maialino, a cook and a pastry cook faced with a lot of leftover turkey conspired to come up with a new and improved potpie, one that benefited from adjustments to the basic proportions—a lighter sauce, more vegetables, and a New England biscuit topping instead of a double pastry crust. Roll or pat out the biscuit dough, cut into rounds, and place on top of the filling. The result is more like a stew with a crust, so it’s best to serve this in shallow bowls, with soupspoons as well as forks to scoop up the flavorful liquid.

For the biscuit dough

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  1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
  
  


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  1 Tbs. baking powder
  
  


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  1/2 tsp. salt
  
  


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  1 tsp. sugar
  
  


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  8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
  
  


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  1 cup heavy cream
  
  

For the filling

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  8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  
  


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  1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
  


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  4 cups chicken stock or water
  
  


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  1 cup half-and-half or cream (depending on how rich you want the sauce to be)
  
  


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  1 cup diced (1/2-inch) peeled carrots
  
  


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  1 cup diced (1/2-inch) celery
  
  


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  1 cup diced (1/2-inch) red or yellow onion
  
  


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  1 bay leaf
  
  


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  2 fresh thyme sprigs
  
  


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  1 fresh sage sprig
  
  


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  3
  cups diced (1/2-inch) vegetables of your choice: mushrooms, bell
  pepper, green beans, potatoes, fresh corn, and fresh or frozen peas
  
  


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  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
  


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  6 cups diced (1-inch) cooked turkey, white or dark meat
  
  

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  2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
  
  

Make the biscuit dough

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with two knives or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour in the heavy cream, mixing with wooden spoon just until the dough comes together. (Overmixing will result in tough biscuits.)

Make the filling

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Slowly stir in the flour with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the roux is light golden, about 10 minutes.

Gradually whisk in the stock, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the liquid to a simmer, continuing to whisk. Stir in the half-and-half, increase the heat to high, and bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, thyme, and sage. If using bell pepper, green beans, and/or potatoes, add them now. Stir well and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. (The sauce can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days; rewarm it gently when you’re ready to make the potpie.)

Assemble and bake the potpie

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Add the turkey and the remaining vegetables to the sauce and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. Pour the mixture into a 9-x-13-inch baking dish.

On a floured surface, roll or pat the biscuit dough out 1/2 inch thick. Using a 2- to 3-inch biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut rounds out of the dough and cover the top of the potpie. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the biscuit crust is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling. Serve hot.