Pot Pie

This simple-to-prepare pot pie is a perfect excuse for all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey. The cheesy crust is so good that you’ll want to bake it as a stand-alone biscuit—use just a cup of buttermilk for a stiffer consistency.

Transform plain chicken breasts into a new feast with this succulent take on the pot pie. Make the filling the night before, then get to work on the aromatic herb crust, stuffed with thyme and butter. The pie demands a fair amount of preparation, but efforts will be rewarded with high praise. Halve the measurements for a weeknight dinner for the kids, or make the whole recipe to serve a crowd of eager guests. And feel free to throw in whatever produce you have on hand.

The ultimate comforting supper, bursting with flavorsome vegetables and a rich herby gravy. You can either use some of the pre-frozen chicken filling , in which case thaw it, then assemble the pie and eat straight away. Alternatively, you can make the filling, let cool, and assemble the pie, then freeze the whole thing uncooked ready to defrost and bake in the oven at a later date.

I discovered this pie while in Maine on summer vacation and could hardly wait to get back to my own kitchen to re-create it. It offers all of the comfort of Chicken Pot Pie (page 153), but with a rich, elegant lobster twist. It’s hard to go wrong with chunks of lobster immersed in a creamy sauce and flaky pastry.

I first started selling these pies at small farmers’ markets in Vermont and quickly discovered just how many people share my appreciation for them. To this day, we still have a hard time keeping them stocked at the store. This is definitely a more labor-intensive recipe than some others (allow yourself at least 2 1/2 hours from start to finish), but it is well worth it. If you’re short on time, use an already prepared rotisserie chicken, and cook the vegetables for the pie in 2 cups of store-bought chicken stock. Best of all, this pie can be made as a single pie, or as individual pies as pictured.

It’s hard to improve upon a standard, but this recipe for chicken potpie does just that. Each individual serving is topped with a ruffle-edged round of herb-flecked dough. The filling contains all the usual, well-loved components, but the creamy sauce is brightened with lemon zest.

Comfort food. That’s all I’ve got to say!

Chef Danielle Custer, who attended the 1997 Workshop, devised this modified potpie to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. She wanted to make a version of the freezer-case classic but without the traditional bottom crust or the peas. Brian has added a California touch: asparagus from the winery garden, transforming the modest all-American potpie into a dish suitable for guests. Tender drop biscuits scented with chives take the place of a pastry crust.

Extra vegetables and a lighter crust make this comfort-food classic a smarter choice than traditional versions. Using store-bought phyllo dough cuts down on prep time.

This is something like a chicken pot pie, but far more exotic and quite wonderful. Like a chicken pot pie, it is serious work; it will keep you busy for a good solid hour. (You can, however, prepare the chicken filling and almond topping in advance and assemble it just before baking.) The sweet almond topping may deceive your guests into thinking it’s a dessert, but the savory chicken filling counters it perfectly. As always, when working with phyllo dough, make sure you keep the pieces that you are not working with covered with a damp towel; see Baklava (page 628) for more details.

This casual dish is a shortcut version of the lavish Chicken Pot Pie on our dinner menu.

We like to refer to this dish as our sophisticated chicken potpie. Lord knows we love chicken, and when you add the sweetness of Vidalia onion, carrots, and celery, you are on your way to some classic Southern comfort food. And we all need a little bit of that sometimes, don’t we?

This is not your typical pea-and-carrot-laden pot pie. Inspired by fall flavors, this sophisticated version is loaded with butternut squash, oyster and chanterelle mushrooms, and fresh sage—all tucked under a layer of golden, flaky puff pastry.

You’re probably skeptical about how such a standard meat and potatoes dish as shepherd’s pie could be made vegetarian, but it can definitely be done. This dish is great comfort food—white beans and veggies baked bubbly hot with a golden mashed potato crust.

This casual dish is a shortcut version of the lavish Chicken Pot Pie on our dinner menu.