Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean

INGREDIENTS FOR PASTRY

450 g (1 lb) flour

225 g (8 oz) lard

1 egg, beaten, for glazing

½ tsp salt

½ tsp yeast

100 ml (⅓ cup + 1 T + 1 tsp) ice water

½ tsp vinegar

METHOD FOR PASTRY

1. To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients (flour with salt and yeast) and the wet ones (lard, egg, vinegar, and water). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix until you form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in a plastic wrap and let cool in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

2. 6 hours before the meal, roll out ⅔ of the dough. Flatten to a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

3. Divide chilled dough into 2 pieces, one just slightly larger than the other. Roll the larger piece out on a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch circle. Place in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Roll top crust out into an 11-inch circle; set aside.

INGREDIENTS FOR SPICE BLEND

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried sage

½ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp ground mustard

¼ tsp savory

⅛ tsp ground cloves

1 pinch cayenne pepper

METHOD FOR SPICE BLEND

Mix together salt, black pepper, thyme, sage, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, mustard, savory, clove, and cayenne in a small bowl; set aside.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING

1 ea large russet potato, peeled, quartered

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 T butter

1 ea large onion, finely chopped

1 pinch salt

100 g (½ cup) finely diced celery

4 cloves garlic, crushed

450 g (1 lb) ground pork

450 g (1 lb) ground beef

236 ml (1 cup) potato cooking water, plus more as needed

METHOD FOR FILLING

1. To make the filling: Place potatoes and 1 tsp Kosher salt in a saucepan; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer potatoes to a bowl, reserving potato cooking water in the saucepan. Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth; set aside.

2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Cook and stir until onions turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir celery, garlic, and spice blend into the skillet with onions. Stir until onion mixture is evenly coated with spices, about 30 seconds.

3. Add ground pork, ground beef, and about ¾ cup potato cooking water to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is brown and tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 45 minutes. Stir in mashed potatoes, turn off heat, and let cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

4. Fill bottom crust with meat mixture; smooth out the surface. Whisk egg in a small bowl to make an egg wash. Brush egg wash over the edges of the bottom crust. Cover with top crust; press lightly around the edges to seal. Trim excess dough and use water to crimp the edges together and glaze the surface with a beaten egg yolk. Make a hole in the middle of the pie, about 5-centimeter/2-inch wide that will help let the steam out during baking.

5. Brush entire surface of pie with egg wash.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until crust is well browned, about 1 hour. Let cool to almost room temperature before serving.

TIP

Alternatively, when done, I’ll turn off the heat and leave the pie in the oven to rest.