More snow? REALLY?! ….ok, so whoever has been asking for more snow … please stop. It’s getting depressing and I’m so tired of being cold. I don’t remember a winter being this long since I was a kid!
So since they didn’t ask me about all of this, the only thing to do is go with the flow and ride it out. Sooo…
Are we there yet?
*sigh* Ok, ok. So while Mother Nature hits the snooze alarm for spring, might as well make the best of it and enjoy a few more cold weather dishes, right? Right. 😉
My hubby “surprised” me with this request….a dish I don’t make very often. Like hardly at all. Once every 5 years more like! But after he asked several times, I wasn’t going to say no. 😉 It’s good comfort food, fun to make, and so very pretty when it’s all done! Who doesn’t love those crispy li’l taters, anyways? 😉
I used to use regular “tater tots” for this, but this time I used Ore-Ida’s “Crispy Crowns” and it came out even prettier! Because they’re like “coins” instead of “tots”, I did protect the top during the last of baking with a little circle of foil so they wouldn’t get overdone, and they worked perfectly!
Though I cheated and used a pie crust sheet rather than homemade, the filling is from scratch and simple to make!
I made it even faster this time by using up the last of the holiday roast turkey, but you can cook some chicken breasts or pick the meat off of a rotisserie chicken if you’d like. Or pick up some roast turkey at your nearby corner deli or grocery store deli department!
I used the veggies that we like which included baby carrots, red potatoes, celery, onion, white shoepeg corn, and fresh cremini mushrooms. Sometimes I add peas and/or green beans, too, but this was plenty for this pie!
You can add any veggie you like though such as broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts or cauliflower! Just make things according to how you enjoy them! 🙂
I had some filling left over this time, because I used my regular 9″ pie plate instead of my larger deep dish, but the filling will be wonderful over some cooked rice and maybe some water chestnuts added in! Instead of topping with the crispy potatoes, a handful of chow mein noodles sounds like the perfect addition.
That will make for a nice lunch! So if you have a bit left over, too, you can always make a secondary dish out of it! This is also very good in puff pastry turnovers or hand pies, too! 😉
Not much is needed with this, since it’s pretty much a meal in itself, but you can always serve a small salad or enjoy a fresh fruit salad alongside.
Or serve that extra veggie on the side instead of adding them in. Buttered baby peas, broccoli or green beans would be perfect company! 😉
So if you’re longing for some simple, good old-fashioned comfort food, maybe this is just the ticket! It might not be “fancy pants”, more like comfy flannel pj’s! 😉 But it sure is pretty and really warms the tummy on a bitter cold, snowy (yuck!) day! 😀
Hope you enjoy and let’s all THINK SPRING at once….someone’s got to hear us!! 😀
TURKEY TATER TOT PIE
6-8 servings
2 1/2 – 3 cups cooked roast turkey, pulled or cut bite-sized, can sub chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken
5 Tbl. butter
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. fresh sliced cremini mushrooms
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
6 Tbl. flour
1 1/2 cups baby carrots sliced into fourths
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 red or Yukon Gold potato, unpeeled and cut bite-sized
1 Tbl. Superior Touch Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base dissolved in 3 1/4 cups boiling water
1 Tbl. cornstarch
1 Tbl. cold milk, half and half or cream
1/2 – 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper, to taste
1 (11 oz.) can white shoepeg corn, drained
2-3 drops yellow food coloring, optional
enough pie pastry for a single crust 9″ pie, or 1 Pillsbury Pie Crust Sheet
45-50 Ore-Ida Crispy Crowns potatoes, unthawed
salt to taste, optional
DIRECTIONS:
In large deep frying pan, melt butter. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic powder and thyme. Sauté until onions are crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and sauté another 3-4 minutes to cook raw flour taste out.
Slowly stir in the 3 1/4 cups prepared chicken bouillon, bring to a low boil, stirring. Boil and stir for a few minutes until thickened. Stir cornstarch into cold milk, add, and stir while boiling for one more minute. Stir in turkey. Set aside.
While making cream sauce mixture, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add celery, potatoes and carrots, and boil until tender, about 12-15 minutes depending on size. Drain well and gently stir into cream mixture.
Stir in pepper, drained corn, and *yellow food coloring (*if desired). You don’t have to add it, but the sauce can look a tad grayish if you don’t. A little yellow food coloring just makes it look prettier. 😀
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place pie pastry into pie dish. Flute edge. Fill with veggie/cream filling. Top with “Crispy Crown” potatoes. Sprinkle top lightly with salt if desired.
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until crust is deep golden and pie is just starting to bubble. *A small circle of foil can be placed on top during last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning if needed.
Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. Pie will stay hot for quite awhile! Enjoy! 😀
DanaPNY
Friday 28th of February 2014
What a great idea Kelly!! I LOVVVEEEE tater tots too. :D
Kelly
Friday 28th of February 2014
Thanks, Dana! Been making these pies for years! :D But this is a first with the coin-shaped tots! We both liked them even better, and they look so pretty! :D