Three Cheese and Vegetable Pot Pie

It was Oscar night, and we made a household event of it. We all like movies but not usually award shows. Naturally we turned to the number one way to easily make something fun; turn it into a competition. (Any occasion to do so is seldom passed up at my house.) The family filled out ballots predicting winners in the top categories, and decided on a prize of handmade caramel candies. Spoiler: I tied for first! (which is good, cause I'll readily admit I hate losing, also caramel is my favorite sweet.)

I decided to make something special for dinner. I had some great cheese, fresh veggies, and a lot of people to feed. I considered the usual starches: potato, pasta, bread...., in the quantity I needed, they just didn't seem red carpet to me. I wanted something impressive, but not too frilly. Then it hit me: pastry crust... pot pies.. Giant Pot Pies! There is something awe inspiring about a whole pie, and it seemed a perfect dinner for a Sunday in February. And I have to say these Cheese and Vegetable Pot Pies were a smash hit with all the critics in my house. (sorry, I just had to do it)


the recipe:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 sm onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, 1/2 stalk minced, remainder sliced
2 carrots, 1/2 carrot minced, remainder halved (quartered if large) and sliced
1/2 lb mushrooms, 3 minced, remainder sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
4 cups milk
1 sm bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme
1/3 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
1/3 cup extra sharp Cheddar, shredded
3 tbsp Parmesan, shredded
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
salt
1 9" double pastry crust


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large heavy skillet or dutch oven, saute chopped onion and minced celery, carrot, and mushrooms with a pinch of salt in vegetable oil over med heat until well caramelized: approx 15 min. (Lower heat and scrape bottom of pan as needed.) Add garlic and saute 1 min. Dump out and reserve caramelized vegetable mixture (or push to the side of pan) Add butter; stir in flour and saute 1 -2 min. Whisk in milk until smooth, then stir in caramelized veggies, bay leaf and thyme. Simmer a few min. until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add sliced veggies and simmer until nearly tender. Stir in shredded Gruyere, Cheddar, Parmesan, parsley, and lemon juice. Remove bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Poor into prepared pastry crust, crimp edges with fork for "authentic" pot pie look. (brush with an egg wash if you want a shiny surface) Bake 35 -45 min. until center is golden brown. (If the edge begins to get too brown, use pie crust shield) Let rest 10 min. before serving. Serves 6-8 people.



















I was surprised at how filling these were. I'm not kidding when I say, one slice is enough, the most ravenous could maybe put down two. The buttery crust and rich cheesy filling are decadent and satisfying. Serve with a salad, and you have a meal.