Canadian Tourtière: Holiday Herb & Spice Meat Pie
The Canadian Tourtière is a hearty, savory mixed-meat pie full of traditional French herbs and warm holiday spices bound together with mashed potatoes and enveloped in a buttery, flaky double-crust pie crust. What could be more satisfying in both flavor and indulgence during the holidays?
Servings: 10 slices
Ingredients
Double Crust Flaky Pie Dough (for 9-to 10” Pie Plates)
- 360 g (3 cups) all-purpose flour fluffed, scooped, and leveled off if using a measuring cup
- 6 g (1 tsp) salt
- 113 g (½ cup / 1 stick) COLD butter diced and kept in fridge until ready to use
- 100 g (½ cup) COLD shortening or lard diced and kept in fridge until ready to use
- ½ cup plus (8-12 tbsp) ICE cold water place 1 cup of cold water in ice and in fridge while preparing the dough
- 1 large egg beaten (to brush over dough)
Meat & Potato Filling
- 700 g (2 lbs) russet potatoes, peeled and diced ~5 small, 2-3 medium, or 1-2 large
- 14 g (1 tbsp) butter
- 1 tbsp oil avocado, olive, grapeseed, canola, etc.
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 2 g (2 tsp) dried savory
- 2 g (2 tsp) dried rosemary
- 2 g (2 tsp) dried marjoram
- 2 g (2 tsp) dried thyme
- 2 g (2 tsp) dried sage
- 3 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
- ½ g (½ tsp) ground nutmeg
- ½ g (½ tsp) ground allspice
- 2½ g (1 tsp) ground black pepper
- 2 tsp (12 g) salt, divided plus ½ tbsp more to season potato water
- 1 cup beef stock or broth
Instructions
Prepare Pie Crust (make-ahead option)
- In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in cold butter and shortening using a pastry cutter, food processor, etc. Add ½ cup ice water (without the ice) and use a fork to press the water and flour against the bowl edges. Add more water, 1 tbsp at a time, as needed until all flour is just moistened and comes together in a cohesive dough. Divide dough in half, form each into a disk, wrap each in plastic, and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour up to 1 week until ready to use it.TIP: Cold ingredients produce flaky pie crusts as the butter and shortening remain solid until baked.
Prepare Mashed Potatoes
- Peel and dice potatoes. Place them in a medium saucepan and cover an inch above with cold water. Season water with ½ tbsp of salt. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Potatoes are done when tender, a knife cuts easily through a potato. Drain the potatoes and return them to the saucepan. Add ½ tsp salt and mash the potatoes with a potato masher or ricer. Set potatoes aside.TIP: Cold water heats up slowly cooking the potatoes evenly.
Prepare Meat Filling
- In a large 12-inch skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add diced onion and cook a few minutes until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.TIP: The skillet is hot enough when butter sizzles or a piece of onion sizzles when added to the hot oil.
- Add ground beef and pork and break up the meat mixture. Add the seasonings, dried savory through black pepper and add 1½ tsp salt. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in broth or stock stirring everything together. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste mixture and add additional salt or other spices as needed.
- Stir in the mashed potato mixture as the binder for the meat and taste again adding more salt if needed. The mixture will be very thick like a paste. Place filling in another bowl to help cool down. Set the mixture aside until it has cooled to warm, not hot.
Pie Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C) and set aside a 9- to 10-inch pie plate.
- Remove 1 pie dough disk from fridge. Place disk on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to roll it into an 11- to 12-inch circle, large enough to overhang the pie plate about 2 inches. Fold the dough in half and in half again to get a triangle. Place the triangle corner in the center of a pie plate and unfold. Gently manipulate the dough to fit snuggly against the pie plate along the bottom and edges. Cut off excess dough that exceeds more than 2 inches beyond the pie plate.TIP: Folding the dough allows for easy transport between work surface and pie plate preventing tears.
- Fill the pie plate and dough with meat filling pressing mixture in pie plate.TIP: Compress the meat just enough to prevent voids within the pie.
- Remove the other dough disk from the fridge and roll it out 11- to 12- inches in diameter to form the top crust.
- Beat 1 egg and brush it along the bottom pie dough edges to create a glue for the top pie dough. Fold the top dough in half and again in half to get a triangle. Place the corner over the pie filling and unfold. Cut off excess dough if necessary. Seal dough edges by rolling them under to sit on the edge of the pie plate. Use your fingers to crimp the edge or use fork tines and press along the edge to decorate as you choose. To allow steam to escape, cut 2-3 small slits in the top of the dough or other decoration which will allow steam to escape.TIP: For a decorative top, use small leaf shape or holiday themed cookie or pie cut outs to remove shapes from the top dough. No need to add slits in the top if using cut outs. If using cut outs, make the cuts while the dough is on the work surface.
- Brush the dough with remaining egg wash.
Bake Pie
- Place the meat pie in the oven to bake for 15 minutes at 425°F (220˚C). Reduce heat to 375°F (190°C) and bake for another 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and the crust is a baked through. Slice, serve, and enjoy!TIP: If hot, the first slice will likely fall apart as it's removed from the pie plate. For pretty slices, wait ~15 minutes until the pie cools slightly before cutting.
Video
Notes
Optional Ingredient Suggestions and Substitutions:
No time to make pie crust? No problem: just use a commercial version, but you'll need two. Use any ground meat or mix of meats particularly wild game like deer, bison, or elk. Use any herb and spice combination you like; you can eliminate any of the above herbs or spices if you don't have them or don't like them. For added flavor you can use sweet potatoes or a combination of sweet potatoes and russet potatoes.
Storage Suggestions:
The pie keeps very well covered and stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. For longer storage, cut the pie into serving slices and store in a sealed container in the freezer up to several months. From frozen, thaw the slices in the fridge overnight or for several hours before heating and consuming.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve the pie with soup or salad and holiday yeast rolls.