The Foodist: Winter Root-Vegetable Pot Pie
Winter vegetables picked and ready to make this pot pie!
This is a fall and winter staple. It is cheap, filling, warm, and easy to make. Use whatever you have on hand, the flavors only get better together and over time in the refrigerator.
INGREDIENTS
Cornmeal Biscuit Topping, or as I use, a pie shell
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, minced
2 small celery ribs, sliced1/2 inch thick
Salt
1 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 medium parsnips (about 8 to 10 ounces), peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 pound small Red Bliss Potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 1/2 cups)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 cup frozen peas
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus up to 1/4 cup additional broth as needed when cooking the potatoes
2 1/4 cups whole milk
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
While the buttermilk biscuits and flaky pie dough (see related recipes) used for our other pot pies both work well topping this pie, we prefer cornmeal biscuits (see related recipe). The sweet, grainy flavor of the corn pairs well with both the root vegetables and the tangy cheese of the filling. If you don’t have fresh thyme leaves, substitute 1½ teaspoons dried thyme and add it with the broth to the roux.
Make the biscuit topping and refrigerate it until ready to use.
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and squash; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften around the edges, about 13 minutes (if the potatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, add vegetable broth, a tablespoon at a time, as needed to loosen). Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the filling to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) or six 12-ounce ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle the peas evenly over the top and set aside.
Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once foaming subsides, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the 1¾ cups vegetable broth and the milk, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheddar. Stir in the vinegar, thyme, parsley, and cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce over the filling and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly. Arrange the biscuits on top and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 minutes for a large pie and about 20 minutes for smaller pies. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
SERVES 6 TO 8
