Mushroom Potpie with Fall Veggies

Hello, Welcome Friends! As November nears, I start thinking about Turkey Day. I am not a crazy planner, but I like to have some idea of what to cook on the big day – the Super Bowl of cooking that is Thanksgiving. More than the turkey itself, which Alex handles because he likes to deep fry or smoke the bird, I like to think about the sides. Today’s Mushroom Potpie struck me as not only a great side, but as a great vegetarian option for the main course – skipping the Tofurkey and other meat impersonations and going straight for something that can stand on its own. Shall we get to it?

Obviously this is not just a recipe for Thanksgiving. It’s really fantastic any day of the week, any time of the year. You can make it in a skillet like we’ll do today, or make individual potpies in ramekins. However you do it, it’s going to be well-received.

First Steps

In a small bowl, pour 2 cups of boiling water over the dried chanterelles (or porcinis) and let them soak while we prep the rest of the ingredients. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mushroom Potpie Filling

I have everything prepped and ready. Diced red potatoes; sliced carrots; fun crinkle cut butternut squash (thank you, Trader Joe’s!); chopped garlic; diced onion; thinly sliced kale; quartered crimini mushrooms; chopped fresh rosemary and thyme; and a mix of oyster, shiitake and maitake mushrooms, torn into large-ish pieces. I also have dried chanterelles soaking in boiling water, a little cream and vegetable stock.

The Mushrooms

Start by tossing the fresh mushrooms in your skillet with about 1 cup water. Over medium heat bring it all up to a simmer and let it simmer vigorously until all the water is cooked off.

Side note: I got the bones of this recipe from New York Times Cooking, however I am using my preferred method for browning mushrooms; which is to cook them with water to release their moisture; then add the oil so the mushrooms don’t soak up a ton of oil, becoming greasy.

When the skillet is dry, add a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of Kosher salt. Sauté, undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Give them a stir and let them go again, undisturbed for another 3-4 minutes, add more olive oil if the skillet seems too dry and sauté until the mushrooms develop some browning.

The Veggies

Transfer the mushrooms to a separate bowl and set aside. Over medium heat, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and toss in the diced onion. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften and turn translucent. Then add the kale, when the kale begins to wilt, add the chopped garlic, thyme and rosemary. Season with Kosher and pepper. Stir and let the garlic sauté for about 30 seconds.

Then sprinkle the 1/4 flour over the kale, onions and garlic stir until the flour is fully dispersed and begins to toast, about 1-2 minutes.

While stirring, pour in the cream, vegetable broth and 1/3 cup of the liquid from the soaking chanterelles.

Stir to mix all the liquid together with the veggies. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is has thickened a bit. Turn off the heat. Taste and add more Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Off heat, add the potatoes, squash and carrots. (Note, I like the carrots to retain some crunch, so I sliced my small carrots into rounds, if you like your carrots to be soft, cut them into smaller pieces.) Stir to combine.

Then add the cooked fresh mushrooms back to the skillet. Strain the soaking chanterelles and squeeze out any excess water and add them to the skillet. Stir to incorporate all the mushrooms. Taste again and add more kosher salt or pepper, if needed.

Puff Pastry Crust

On a lightly floured surface, roll the thawed but still cold pastry dough out to a roughly 14-inch circle or square. Carefully lay the dough over the top of the skillet. Use kitchen shears to trim corners off, if your dough is square, like mine. You want about 1/2-inch of dough to hang over the sides of the skillet.

Crimp the edges of the dough under so it no longer hangs over the skillet. Then whisk a teaspoon of water with one egg and brush the entire top of the dough with the egg wash. With a utility or paring knife make 4-5, 2-inch slices in dough, radiating out from the center.

Place the skillet on a sheet tray and bake on the center rack in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the puff pastry is puffed and golden. Let the Mushroom Potpie sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Mushroom Potpie

Use a sturdy spatula or knife to make cuts in the pastry dough, to slice and serve.

A bit of the filling will slide out from under the puff pastry crust, but that’s OK! It’s still amazingly delicious. Just spoon whatever filling is left behind in the pan along side the portioned slice on the plate. This vegetarian Mushroom Potpie is overflowing with flavor and texture. Nothing has turned to mush – the potatoes are fork tender, the carrots are still crunchy, and the variety of mushrooms gives this potpie a meaty texture that is hearty and super-satisfying. And let’s not forget the buttery, flaky puff pastry crust!

To make individual potpies, just spoon the filling into ramekins, about 3/4 of the way up. Use a round biscuit cutter to cut circles out of the puff pastry dough large enough to cover the ramekins with about 1/4-inch overhang; crimp the edges under. Brush the dough with egg wash and make three 1/2-inch cuts radiating from the center of the dough. Place the ramekins on a sheet tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden.

A Perfect Potpie

Thank you all so much for joining me today for this one-skillet Mushroom Potpie. Truly, it’s a fantastic plant-based dish to feel good about. Serve it as a Thanksgiving side, or vegetarian main for Turkey Day. Make it for Sunday Supper! It’s a one-skillet wonder! As we start making our way toward holiday cooking, check back through the archives for a few of last year’s Thanksgiving recipes; like Cornbread Andouille Dressing, or Stuffed Acorn Squash. Be sure to follow me on Pinterest to have all the Djalali Cooks recipes in one place. Take care and be well Everyone! xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Mushroom Potpie

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Dinner, Main Course, Side – American

By Adapted from NY Times Cooking – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: ~1 Hour – Cooking Time: 25-30 Minutes – Total Time: ~1 Hour, 30 Minutes

Mushroom Potpie is full of flavor and texture. A variety of mushrooms gives this pot pie a meaty texture; with carrots, potatoes, squash and kale.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Dried Chanterelle or Porcini Mushrooms (1/2 ounce)
• 1/2 lb. Fresh Oyster mushrooms, torn into separate pieces (or shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved)
• 1/2 lb. Crimini Mushrooms, stemmed and quartered (or cut into sixths if large)
• 1 cup Water
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
• 4 tbsp. Olive Oil, plus more as needed
• 1 large Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 lb. Lacinato Kale, stemmed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp. chopped Fresh Thyme Leaves
• 2 tsp. chopped Fresh Rosemary
• 1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour, plus more for dusting
• 1.5 cups Vegetable Stock
• 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup diced Peeled Carrots (from 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 cup diced Butternut Squash
• 1 cup diced Red Potatoes (from 2 small potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 1 (14- to 16-ounce) Packaged Puff Pastry, thawed
• 1 Large Egg

Instructions

1

In a small bowl, pour 2 cups of boiling water over the dried chanterelles (or porcinis) and let them soak.

2

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

3

Toss the fresh mushrooms in the skillet with about 1 cup water. Leave the chanterelles soaking, we will add them later.

4

Over medium heat bring it all up to a simmer and let it simmer vigorously until all the water is cooked off.

5

When the skillet is dry, add a good drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of Kosher salt. Sauté, undisturbed for about 5 minutes. Stir and let cook undisturbed for another 3-4 minutes, add more olive oil if the skillet seems too dry and sauté until the mushrooms develop some browning.

6

Transfer the mushrooms to a separate bowl and set aside.

7

Over medium heat, add another drizzle of olive oil to the pan and toss in the diced onion. Sauté the onion until it begins to soften and turn translucent.

8

Then add the kale, when the kale begins to wilt, add the chopped garlic, thyme and rosemary. Season with Kosher and pepper. Stir and let the garlic sauté for about 30 seconds.

9

Then sprinkle the 1/4 flour over the kale, onions and garlic stir until the flour is fully dispersed and begins to toast, about 1-2 minutes. While stirring, pour in the cream, vegetable broth and 1/3 cup of the liquid from the soaking chanterelles.

10

Stir to mix all the liquid together with the veggies. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is has thickened a bit. Turn off the heat. Taste and add more Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

11

Off heat, add the potatoes, squash and carrots. (Note, I like the carrots to retain some crunch, so I sliced my small carrots into rounds, if you like your carrots to be soft, cut them into smaller pieces.) Stir to combine.

12

Then add the cooked fresh mushrooms back to the skillet. Strain the soaking chanterelles and squeeze out any excess water and add them to the skillet. Stir to incorporate all the mushrooms. Taste again and add more kosher salt or pepper, if needed.

13

On a lightly floured surface, roll the thawed but still cold pastry dough out to a roughly 14-inch circle or square. Carefully lay the dough over the top of the skillet. Use kitchen shears to trim corners off, if your dough is square. You want about 1/2-inch of dough to hang over the sides of the skillet.

14

Crimp the edges of the dough under so it no longer hangs over the skillet. Then whisk a teaspoon of water with one egg and brush the entire top of the dough with the egg wash. With a utility or paring knife, make 4-5, 2-inch slices in dough, radiating out from the center.

15

Place the skillet on a sheet tray and bake on the center rack in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the puff pastry is puffed and golden.

16

Let the Mushroom Potpie sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.