Traditional Easy Pot Pies

Good Monday morning!  Unlike most people, I just love Mondays.  My spirit is recharged from the great sermons and worship on Sunday, and although my body is tired from all the cooking I do in the afternoon, there is nothing better in life than to be with God's people on the Lord's Day.  

These photos were featured in the Savannah Morning News weekly food column with Miss Sophie.  And my church family absolutely loves this humble dish.    

 I have to agree with Miss Sophie, that great tasting rich stock or broth is the basis for great tasting pot pies.  So in the IPC kitchen we take a little extra time in making homemade stock by using the carcasses from Sam's rotisserie chickens.  We add bay leaves, fresh onions, carrots, and celery, whole peppercorns,  and cook until all the goodness comes out the marrow.  

Here is a simple pot pie recipe from Miss Sophie, which is very similar to the one I do for my church family.   I hope you will give it a try this week for your family.   Have a wonderful week everyone!  

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TRADITIONAL EASY POT PIE

Recipe by Miss Sophie  (Used with permission )

Sauce:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

2 cups rich stock

Beef, Chicken, Vegetable or Veal Stock

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

Filling:

2-3 cups chopped or shredded cooked meat

Rotisserie chicken, turkey, beef or lamb

2 cups cooked vegetables:

Peas, Carrots, Mushrooms, Potatoes or Frozen mixed vegetables, uncooked.

Crust:

1 box of 2 pie crusts or 1 sheet of puff pastry

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for wash

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add onions and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Whisk flour into butter and onions and cook for additional 2-3 minutes.  Slowly whisk broth into flour until smooth, add thyme and bring to slow simmer. Add meat and vegetables. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

For a 2 crust pie: spray a pie plate with cooking spray. Unroll one crust and cover bottom and sides of pie plate, trim excess edges. Pour hot ingredients into pie shell. Top with second pie crust, remove excess crust and tuck crust down around ingredients. Using the tines of a fork, crimp edges to pie plate to seal. Cut two or three slits in the top crust to allow steep to vent. Brush with egg wash.  Bake in a 400 degree oven 30 – 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

For a top crust pie only, pour ingredients directly into pie plate and cover with one pie crust or a sheet of puff pastry, remove excess and tuck crust down around filling. Using the tines of a fork, crimp edges to pie plate to seal. Cut two or three slits in the top crust to allow steep to vent. Brush with egg wash.  Bake in a 400 degree oven 30 – 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Large volume cooking tip:
For the crust, we bake about 300 Garlic-Cheese biscuits separately.  After we ladle the filling in a 12-oz disposable bowl, we then top it with biscuit and serve.  It's much easier to control portions and crust topping this way.  

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

"Are you making the lamb for someone, or is that for us?"

When my husband and I go out on a date, I usually order pizza for my four children.  But lazy summer days (where I don't have to shuttle them from sport practices, music lessons, and such) are ones where I can spend more time on a good dinner.

 I surprised them with a roasted leg of lamb and quinoa salad (recipe post coming Wednesday) last week before we headed out for dinner with some friends.  

Note: No, my children don't eat like this everyday.

 Here is a simple marinade which works wonderfully for lamb and chicken:   

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Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

Serves 6-8

3 lb boneless leg of lamb

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Marinade:

1/2 cup packed fresh herb leaves (Rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, and sage are what I used)

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

5 cloves of garlic peeled

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin

Using a food processor, pulse fresh herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, lime juice and zest.  With the motor running, slowly pour 1/4 cup of olive oil.  

Put lamb in a gallon size ziplock bag.  Scrape all the marinade into the bag and let the air out and zip it tightly.  Massage the bag so marinade will fully cover the meat.  Marinade overnight or at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.  

1 hour before cooking, let bag sit out to room temperature.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Using a large cast iron pan, preheat to med-high until almost smoking point.  Take the lamb out of the bag, gently pat dry, leaving the herb mixture as much as possible. 

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and sear the lamb on all sides.  

Once the meat is well browned, leave the meat in the pan and put it in the oven for 50 minutes to one hour until internal temperature reaches about 145 degrees for medium rare.  Remove lamb from the pan and cover loosely with a sheet of foil,  let rest for 15 minutes before carving.  Serve with your favorite sides.