These were another tasty treat. You will never look at a frozen pot pie the same again after eating a freshly made one! I only had one pre-made pie crust leftover (in my attempt to circumvent my pie crust ineptitude I used one, and it shrunk so much while blind baking it that I had to throw it away and make my own. So much for pre-made being easier!). Anyways, I only had one, and we didn’t want to have to deal with leftovers of leftovers. So we dug out our little ramekins (only 3… the 4th one broke), and used those. It couldn’t have been more perfect. We decided that crust on the bottom was unnecessary, and just put a round of pie crust on top of the filling. Even Taylor, who admitted he would have vetoed this recipe had I told him about it before hand, liked them, and even said they topped last night’s Turkey Cranberry Tacos. This might be another one we’ll have to make again! Of course, we forgot to buy peas at the store. And our sweet potatoes weren’t in any position to be eaten again. The beauty of this recipe is that if you’ve got it, throw it in. A great leftovers recipe for any time of year.
Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes to make a blond roux. Stir in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and continue to cook for another 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, peas (or any other leftover Thanksgiving vegetables), turkey, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Line the baking pan with one of the rolled-out pie crusts (if using). Pour the filling into the prepared pan or divide equally into ramekins. Place the second crust or a precut circle of dough on top of the filling. Carefully tuck the overlapping crusts into the pan, forming a thick edge. Crimp the edges, cut vents in the top crust, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden brown and crusty, 25 to 30 minutes (15-20 minutes if using ramekins). Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing to serve.
