two yolks

If you’re anything like me, you still have leftover turkey from Thanksgiving in the freezer. And, if you’re not, you can just use leftover turkey from Christmas.

I originally saw this recipe before Thanksgiving and made a mental reminder that we could eat something besides Turkey quesadillas in the days after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, we immediately went out of town and then I had to travel for business so the turkey got relegated to the freezer.

And there it sat until after Christmas. At that point, the freezer was getting a bit full (but isn’t it always?) and I felt the need to clean some items out of it. The turkey was the first item to get my attention.

This is a pretty easy recipe even though it involves several different parts. It even makes stock making easy. There’s no skimming. There’s no browning. There’s no aromatics in the stock. Just cover with water and simmer for about an hour. It’s also one of the most flavorful stocks I’ve ever tasted. Just don’t be like me and forget about the excess stock and leave it out overnight, rendering it only fit for disposal.

As I was making the potpie, Angela thought she was going to hate it (for reasons unknown to me). In the end, she liked it quite a bit. Even enough to take the leftovers for lunch today (that’s a surprise even to me).

If you have leftover turkey, this is the recipe to use it.

Turkey Potpie with Cheddar Biscuit Crust
Adapted from Gourmet, November 2007

For Stock:
4 cups turkey bones and skin
water

For Filling:
1 medium onion, diced
2 large peeled carrots, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 large peeled parsnip, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 tsp chopped thyme
3 tbsp butter
1/2 lbs. mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1/4 cup all purpose flour
4 cups cooked turkey meat
10 oz. frozen peas, defrosted

For Crust:
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 tbsp butter, cut into tbsps
1 1/4 cup buttermilk

1. Place the turkey bones and skin in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and simmer slowly until the stock is flavorful about 1 hour.
2. Drain the stock through a strainer and reserve 3 1/2 cups for the potpie. Store the remainder for another use.
3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the onion, carrots, celery, parsnip, and thyme. Cover and sweat the ingredients until they are almost soft, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Uncover the skillet and add the mushrooms. Sweat until the mushrooms are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until mixed well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
6. Deglaze the skillet with the reserved turkey stock (3 1/2 cups) and bring to a boil. Boil, stirring regularly, until the sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in the turkey meat and peas. Taste for seasoning of salt and pepper.
8. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
9. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Add the cheese and mix well.
10. Using a pastry blender (or two knives), blend in the butter until the mixture is coarse.
11. Add the buttermilk and stir until just mixed.
12. Spread the biscuit topping over the turkey mixture evenly.
13. Bake in the preheated oven until the topping is browned, 35 to 40 minutes.
14. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 8.