French Meat Pie (Tourtiere)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Serves: One 8- or 9-inch pie
Ingredients
  • ½ pound ground beef (very lean and ground together with the pork)
  • ½ pound ground pork (very lean and ground together with the beef)
  • 1 small onion
  • 1 medium-sized russet potato
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • about ¾ cup of water
  • 2 sheets pie dough, store-bought, or homemade pie crust for a 2-crust pie
  • Currant or grape jelly, any jam you like, or ketchup for serving
Instructions
  1. In a large, deep sauté pan or dutch oven, brown the beef and pork together over medium heat. Add a little water to the mixture so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Use a potato masher to grind up the meat as it browns (this is a key step in my husband's opinion). Don't be afraid to add more water as the meat cooks so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
  2. Peel the onion and potato and put them together in a food processor (a hand-crank/food grinder or heavy duty blender would also work). Pulse until finely minced.
  3. Add the onion and potato mixture to the browned meat. Then add the spices and salt and mix well.
  4. Simmer the meat mixture for approximately 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add more water if the mixture starts to look too thick.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  6. As the meat is simmering, prepare your pie crust. Place one sheet of pie dough (or one half of your homemade pie crust rolled out to about ¼ inch in thickness) into the bottom of an 8- or 9-inch pie plate.
  7. Scoop the meat mixture into the pie crust and level out the top.
  8. Top with the second pie crust. Trim off excess pie crust around the edges and then use a fork or your fingers to pinch the edges all the way around to adhere the top and bottom crusts together. Poke a few holes with a fork or cut a few slits in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.
  9. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes to an hour, or until golden brown.
  10. Let the meat pie cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting it into wedges. Serve warm with jelly, jam or ketchup.
Notes
You can ask the butcher at your grocery store to grind your lean beef and pork together.
Meat pie freezes easily in a freezer-safe bag. Reheat frozen meat pie in a warm oven until heated through (about an hour).
This recipe multiplies easily. Just multiply all ingredients by the number of pies you'd like to make. Be sure to taste your meat mixture while it's cooking and add more spices to your liking.
Recipe by Sweet Peas and ABCs at https://www.sweetpeasandabcs.com/french-meat-pie/