Author: Dylan Eyers
The modest tourtiere meat pie was always the star of the Eyers’ family holiday meals. With turkey and moose roast on offer that is quite an accomplishment. The tourtiere is a simple meat pie traditionally made with pork, game, potatoes and aromatic spices. This is a French Canadian family recipe passed down from my Grandma Jean. It is best served hot with chilled pickled beets and grainy mustard. I hope you enjoy it.
Step 1:
Prep 2 pie crust with tops to cover the pies. You can buy pie crust but homemade butter-based pie crust is best.
Step 2:
Boil 4 medium potatoes until tender, mash the potatoes, keep the potato water and set aside for later.
Step 3:
Saute 1 cup of chopped onions until they are translucent
Add 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic and saute with the onions for 3 minutes
Step 4:
In a large pot mix in 1.5 pounds of ground game meat (moose, elk or deer) and 1.5 pounds of ground pork meat and stir over low/medium heat.
Add:
- Onions and garlic
- Mashed potatoes
- 1.5 cups of potato water (set aside potato water after boiling the spuds)
- 1.5 teaspoons of ground sage
- 0.5 teaspoons of ground cloves
- 0.5 teaspoons of celery salt
- 0.5 teaspoons of dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons of salt
Step 5:
Cook for about 30 mins and stir the meat mixture on low/medium until the pink is gone from the meat. You are not trying to brown the meat, just warming the whole mix up and allowing the spices to mingle with the meat.
Step 6:
Ladle the meat mixture into a pie shell. Cover top with pastry. Cut a few holes in the top of the pastry shell.
Step 7:
Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees for 10 mins, and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees until the filling boils up through the holes in the pie crust. Make sure the pie crust is crispy before serving.
This recipe will make 2 delicious tourtieres. The tourtieres freeze well if they are prebaked and you can put them in the oven while they are still frozen and bake at 350 degrees until they are showing signs of bubbling up through the holes. Use a meat thermometer to ensure the pies are above 165 degrees before serving.
Step 8:
Enjoy with your friends and family at your next holiday feast! Oh and please let me know how it worked out. Send me a picture, or better yet post it and tag @EatWild.
Eat well and wild,
Dylan
