Recipes come from all kinds of unexpected places. I found this in a pool.
It was the first week of December and I asked my swim team friend, Jane, how her last Thanksgiving had gone. “Good!” she replied. “I put mine together Drink turkey dinner and they are all put in the freezer for January.”
“What? Explain this to me!” I asked immediately.
“You just make a pie crust and put all your scraps in it, then freeze it,” she replied, like it was no big deal.
“Wait, like meat and stuffing and sauce?”
“Yes, everything. Mashed potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, all of it.”
My mind was blown.
It turns out that Jane came up with the idea while living in Maine on a turkey farm. Every year, she would make a 30-pound bird and enough sides to match, which often meant a huge pile of scraps afterward. Her idea was to collect them all into pies and freeze them for dinners throughout the year; an incredibly elegant solution for a busy mother. She's been doing this for more than 30 years, and now it's a tradition for her and her daughter to get together and make half a dozen turkey dinner pies every Friday after Thanksgiving. Daughter Audrey takes care of the housework and Jane is the head of the assembly.
I couldn't wait to try this. I made one, brought it to the test kitchen team and after finalizing it recipe now we can share it with you.
Rick Holbrook
Hot water pasta: easy, quick and convenient
You've likely had enough complicated preparations by the end of Thanksgiving, so we put our pie in a simple and versatile hot water pastry crust. To make it, fat is melted in water, then poured over flour and salt for a crust that tastes great and is firm without being tough. It can hold any part of your party while being an absolute joy to work with. You can add herbs or spices to the dough if you like, for extra pizzazz.
If it was on the table, it's in the pie
Ok, maybe not dinner wheels, but yes, all your waste goes inside that crust, layered, like a delicious geological formation. Meat, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, vegetables, even cranberry sauce. Once the top is on and the edges are crimped, wrap the pies and refrigerate. Now you have some great meals in the bank.
Dinner? Done.
This comprehensive meal is a treasure when you know a busy day lies ahead. Thaw the pie in the refrigerator the night before. You pop it in the oven when you get home and by the time everyone gets back from their events, dinner is ready.
Rick Holbrook
The leftovers? These are really good.
During the recipe testing process, our test kitchen team sampled our cold turkey roast dinner pie from the fridge and confessed that they really, really liked it. If you think of it as a layered terrain en croûte, it makes sense.
Turkey pie dinner: a reward for your hard work
You've done all the work for the big Thanksgiving feast already; why not reap the dividends later? Hopefully you can quickly mix some paste with hot water and make Jane's Turkey pie dinner. You'll have more than party memories to keep you warm.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook.
