Tourtiere du Lac St Jean (Meat Pie from Quebec)

Photo by Eat with Dan

RECETTE EN FRANCAIS

A tourtiere is a traditional dish from Quebec. Although this giant meat pie isn’t from the region of Quebec I’m from, it’s actually from a place called Lac St Jean, it’s very popular around the holidays everywhere in Quebec.

Last weekend I hosted a small dinner party where I wanted to feature some traditional dishes from Quebec. Tourtiere just had to be on the menu! 

This dish is a labor of love with the time-consuming part being the small dicing of the meats and potatoes and the tricky part the rolling of a sheet of pastry big enough to cover the bottom of my huge cast iron Dutch oven. Don’t forget to start the process the day BEFORE you’re going to bake this dish. The result – homey deliciousness.

This dish could easily feed ten guests as a main entrée. I served it in a buffet for 15 people and we ate half of it. The good part is that the leftovers are super tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds beef top round, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 ½ pounds veal shoulder, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 ½ pounds pork shoulder (pork butt), cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 chicken breast, cut into ½ inch cubes
• ½ pound salt pork, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 3 large onions, diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp. each dried Summer Savory and salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 4 pounds, Yukon Gold (or similar) potatoes
• 2 batches of Fail Proof Pie Crust, enough for four 9” crusts
• 1 large egg combined with 2 Tbsp. water
• 28 ounces chicken broth

Directions:

24 hours before baking the Tourtiere:

1. Combine the meats, onions, bay leaves and spices in a large, non-reactive bowl. Stir the mixture and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

The day you’re baking the Tourtiere:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into ½ inch dice.
3. From the 4 portions of pie dough, divide the dough into two balls – one that’s ¾ of the whole recipe and one that’s ¼ of the whole recipe. Roll out the bigger ball and cover the bottom of a 9-quart Dutch oven, ensuring there’s a 1” overhang.
4. Add about 1/3 of the meat mixture to the Dutch oven then cover the meat with 1/3 of the potatoes. Repeat the process until all the meat and potatoes have been used.
5. Roll out the small pie dough ball and cover the meats/potatoes in the Dutch oven. Seal the bottom and top crusts by pinching them then rolling them over themselves to create a rope around the perimeter of the Dutch oven.
6. Cut a 2’ round vent hole in the center of the Tourtiere. Decorate the surface of the Tourtiere with scraps of pie dough (optional) then brush the egg wash over the entire surface.
7. Using a small funnel, add the broth to the Tourtiere by inserting the funnel into the vent hole. You may need to shake the pot in order for the broth to get distributed thoroughly throughout the Tourtiere. Don’t overfill the Tourtiere with broth to the point where broth overflows – use less if need be.
8. Place the Tourtiere, uncovered, in the oven for 15 minutes. A baking sheet directly under the Tourtiere is a good idea to prevent spills.
9. Turn the heat down to 250 degrees, cover the pot and bake for 6 hours.
10. Turn the heat up to 400 degrees, uncover the pot and allow the Tourtiere to brown for about 30 minutes.

Makes 15 hearty portions.