A Winter Family Tradition: Tourtiere Meat Pie
As we start to say goodbye to winter, these cold nights are perfect to enjoy a tourtière, or meat pie. This double-crusted savory dish is hearty and feeds your family for a few nights. Growing up my mom made this dish every Christmas eve to honor my dad’s french-canadian roots. But honestly, who could resist potatoes and beef surrounded by flaky butter crust.
I haven’t enjoyed a tourtière for many years and decided to introduce this dish to my kitchen helper. There are so many ways he can be involved, making and rolling out the pie dough, mashing the potatoes and sprinkling in the spices to the beef/pork/potato mixture. It’s simple, comforting and hearty, just what winter calls for. The pie dough can be made the day before and the mixture doesn’t take too long to pull together. After about 30 minutes in the oven you are ready to feed your family with a dish that has been around since the 1600’s.
Recipe adapted from: Grow A Good Life
Ingredients
- 1 Small- Onion (diced)
- 2 Large Potatoes (mashed)
- 1 Pound - Ground Beef
- 1 Pound - Ground Pork
- 1 Teaspoon - Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon - Nutmeg
- 1 Teaspoon - Salt (more to taste if needed)
- 1 Garlic Clove (finely minced)
- 1 Large Egg (beaten for egg washing the top of the pie)
- PIE DOUGH: (9" pie = top and bottom crust)
- 3 Cups - All-purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon - Salt
- 1 Cup - Shortening (I use Crisco)
- 6-10 Tablespoons of Cold Water
Method
- When making the pie dough I divide the ingredients in half and make the top and bottom crust separately. Then I know I have the correct amount of dough per top and bottom.
- In a food processor I add 1 1/2 Cups of flour, 1/2 Teaspoon Salt and 1/2 Cup Shortening. I pulse together to incorporate.
- While the food processor is running I add 2-3 Tablespoons of cold water and watch the dough start to form. Once it can hold together and it's not too dry I remove, form into a ball or flat square, wrap in cling wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. I then process to make the second ball of pie dough.
- Once the pie dough is chilling in the refrigerator, it's time to start the filling. In a medium to large pot you want to fill with water and bring to a boil.
- While the water is coming to a boil, peel and cut the potatoes. Once water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook until a fork can easily poke through. Around 12 minutes
- Drain the cooked potatoes, but reserve 1/2 cup of the water, mash them in the pot and set aside in a dish.
- In a medium pot, cook the onions, garlic, beef and pork until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the excess fat. Add the Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg and combined
- Then add the 1/2 cup of potato water, mix and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
- Take the pot off of the heat and add the mashed potatoes. Mix until combined and set aside to cool while you prepare the pie dough. Taste the filling and adjust salt levels if needed.
- Remove chilled pie dough from the refrigerator, place a sheet of wax paper onto your work surface. Place your dough on top, then add another sheet of wax paper above. With a rolling pin, roll out dough 2-3" beyond the 9" pie plate.
- Transfer the dough onto the plate and pour the cooled filling inside. Roll out the second sheet of pie dough and transfer on top.
- Cut a few air vents on top of the pie, crimp the edges together and use a pastry brush to apply the egg wash to the top. I sprinkled a little sea salt on top, but that's optional.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet just in case the filling bubbles out. Bake at 400° degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the pie to sit for 10 minutes before serving! Enjoy
Additional Info
Nicole Bedard
Nicole is a professional photographer, mother to an energetic child, and founder of Make and Taste. She has been a Commercial, Editorial and Lifestyle photographer for 10 years and has been published in various magazines and brand websites. Nicole is passionate about providing her child with meaningful experiences and documenting all of the fun along the way. You can always find her baking with her 7 year old and enjoying a good cup of coffee.