A Holiday Meat Pie Adventure

Ok, so we were thinking: we have massive leftovers after 2 large holiday parties, a Christmas Eve dinner, and a Christmas Day dinner. What do we do with this stuff?? Well, one answer was to mix them in with the food we cook by hand for our 3 rather large and hungry pups. Definitely enough meat and other scraps to last quite a while, and they would definitely be pleased. But what to do with the good bits? The stuff that's still really tasty? Instead of going with a round of turkey sandwiches this year, we decided to be more inventive. We decided to make a British meat pie.

Now, I know you're thinking that anything British that doesn't involve breaded and deep fried fish in fake newspaper can't be that good. But here's where you're wrong. And, being so easy to make, why wouldn't you make this?

So, the easy way to make this is to start with a spring-form pan (like the type you use to make cheesecake). An extra deep one is especially helpful.

Now, you can go to the trouble of making your own hot water pastry crust, and undoubtedly your result will be great. We often go that route. But for sake of simplicity here, we recommend you use simple pre-made Pillsbury pie crust. It's stronger than some, so can stand up to the heavy filling without the sides collapsing. And it's easy to find. You'll need to combine a couple of sheets to cover the inside of the pan. Simply mash them into a ball and roll out.

Once you've buttered and/or sprayed your pan and placed your dough inside, you simply have to fill your pie. We started with the meat first. Then the stuffing. Then a layer of mashed butternut squash. And finally, a layer of cranberry sauce. If you make the layers thin enough, you can repeat the process. Or just make them thick and go with it. Either way.

Now, roll out enough dough for a pie top, place the top on the pie, and cut a few small holes so steam can escape. Trim the edges after crimping them with your fingers.

We recommend using an egg wash on top to help you know when the pie is done. Since everything inside is already cooked, you only need to make sure the crust is browned and you're good to go.

After you take it out of the oven, let it sit for a few minutes to cool, then release the spring on the pan, and transfer the pie from the metal bottom to a decorative tray or plate. You're done. You've got an impressive, rustic, hearty winter dinner, and you hardly broke a sweat!