Winter Root-Vegetable Pot Pie
By America's Test KitchenPublished on June 25, 2009
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 recipe Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping (related)6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large onion, minced2 small celery ribs, sliced ½ inch thickSalt 2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick2 medium parsnips (about 8 to 10 ounces/227 to 283 grams), peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced½ inch thick1 pound small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ½ cups) (see illustrations below)4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press1 cup frozen peas 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ¾ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus up to ¼ cup additional broth as needed when cooking the potatoes2 ¼ cups whole milk 4 ounces (113 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 ⅓ cups)2 teaspoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves Pinch cayenne pepper Ground black pepper
Before You Begin
While the buttermilk biscuits and flaky pie dough (see related recipes) used for our other pot pies both work well topping this pie, we prefer cornmeal biscuits (see related recipe). The sweet, grainy flavor of the corn pairs well with both the root vegetables and the tangy cheese of the filling. If you don’t have fresh thyme leaves, substitute 1½ teaspoons dried thyme and add it with the broth to the roux.
Instructions
- Make the biscuit topping and refrigerate it until ready to use.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and squash; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften around the edges, about 13 minutes (if the potatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, add vegetable broth, a tablespoon at a time, as needed to loosen). Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the filling to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) or six 12-ounce ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle the peas evenly over the top and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once foaming subsides, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the 1¾ cups vegetable broth and the milk, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheddar. Stir in the vinegar, thyme, parsley, and cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the filling and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly. Arrange the biscuits on top and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 minutes for a large pie and about 20 minutes for smaller pies. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Yield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
1 recipe Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping (related)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, minced
2 small celery ribs, sliced ½ inch thick
Salt
2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick
2 medium parsnips (about 8 to 10 ounces/227 to 283 grams), peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced½ inch thick
1 pound small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ½ cups) (see illustrations below)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 cup frozen peas
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus up to ¼ cup additional broth as needed when cooking the potatoes
2 ¼ cups whole milk
4 ounces (113 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 ⅓ cups)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 recipe Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping (related)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, minced
2 small celery ribs, sliced ½ inch thick
Salt
2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick
2 medium parsnips (about 8 to 10 ounces/227 to 283 grams), peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced½ inch thick
1 pound small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ½ cups) (see illustrations below)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 cup frozen peas
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus up to ¼ cup additional broth as needed when cooking the potatoes
2 ¼ cups whole milk
4 ounces (113 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 ⅓ cups)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
1 recipe Cornmeal-Biscuit Topping (related)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, minced
2 small celery ribs, sliced ½ inch thick
Salt
2 large carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced ½ inch thick
2 medium parsnips (about 8 to 10 ounces/227 to 283 grams), peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced½ inch thick
1 pound small Red Bliss potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces (about 3 ½ cups) (see illustrations below)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 cup frozen peas
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus up to ¼ cup additional broth as needed when cooking the potatoes
2 ¼ cups whole milk
4 ounces (113 grams) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 ⅓ cups)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Pinch cayenne pepper
Ground black pepper
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our winter root vegetable pot pie recipe, we used our chicken pot pie recipe as a starting point, omitting the chicken and adding a variety of vegetables and seasonings to flesh out the filling. We decided that potatoes added necessary heft to our vegetable pot pie recipe. Small Red Bliss potatoes won tasters over with their creamy texture and subtle flavor, and we favored butternut squash over other types of winter squash because it is the easiest to peel and dice. Tasters preferred parsnips to turnips, and peas were a must for their bright color and sweet flavor.
Before You Begin
While the buttermilk biscuits and flaky pie dough (see related recipes) used for our other pot pies both work well topping this pie, we prefer cornmeal biscuits (see related recipe). The sweet, grainy flavor of the corn pairs well with both the root vegetables and the tangy cheese of the filling. If you don’t have fresh thyme leaves, substitute 1½ teaspoons dried thyme and add it with the broth to the roux.
Instructions
- Make the biscuit topping and refrigerate it until ready to use.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and ¾ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and squash; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften around the edges, about 13 minutes (if the potatoes begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, add vegetable broth, a tablespoon at a time, as needed to loosen). Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer the filling to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish (or a shallow casserole dish of similar size) or six 12-ounce ovenproof dishes. Sprinkle the peas evenly over the top and set aside.
- Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once foaming subsides, add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the 1¾ cups vegetable broth and the milk, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheddar. Stir in the vinegar, thyme, parsley, and cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the sauce over the filling and stir with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly. Arrange the biscuits on top and bake until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 minutes for a large pie and about 20 minutes for smaller pies. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
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