Traditional Quebecois Tourtière à la Johnsonville

That dreaded time of year is approaching and I can literally feel it in my bones. A cold chill runs down my spine just at the thought of it. The anxiety of knowing that you’re going to have to brave through this just for a little while before it all passes and sunny skies return, waddling your way over ice as to not fall on your ass in public, trudging through 30cms of snow, boots that clutter the doorway… but enough about having to visit my relatives during the holidays and let’s talk about food. One of my most favourite things about the holidays is the food; it’s the time to chow down on recipes and dishes that make their once-a-year appearance and are then tucked away for another 365 days. A dish that our family sees only during the holiday is traditional Quebec Tourtière; a savoury meat pie notable for its rich combination of spices and a light, flaky crust.

I was recently contacted my Johnsonville and was asked to create a couple of regionally inspired recipes that would be great served during the holidays and throughout the colder months. What says holidays in Quebec more that tourtière? Traditionally made with a combination of different meats such of beef, pork and veal, for this recipe, I used Johnsonville’s Mild Italian Sausage in addition to ground beef. I felt that the inherent herbs and spices in the sausage would brighten up the already very robust favours of the beef when combined with cinnamon and nutmeg. Here is my spin on a recipe for a Traditional Quebecois Tourtière à la Johnsonville, a hearty meat pie that will keep you warm and full through the holiday season and beyond.

Traditional Quebecois Tourtière à la Johnsonville
Makes 2 9-inch pies 8-12 Servings Prep Time 2:45 Assembly & Bake 60 minutes
Ingredients
· 2 Packages of ground Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage Meat (or decased links)
· 1 pound lean ground beef
· 1 Cup onion (diced)
· 2 cloves of garlic (diced)
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 3 Cups finely diced potatoes
· 1/2 Cup Chicken broth
· 2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
· 2 Teaspoons nutmeg
· 1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
· 2 tsp Salt and 1 tsp Pepper
· Two store-bought pie shells + store-bought puff pastry sheet (Short crust pastry -“pâté brisée”) *(You can also use 2 double crust pie crusts and your own pie pans)
· 4 Tbsp Butter

Instructions:
1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sweat onions and garlic until translucent. Add Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage Meat and ground beef and crumble with a wooden spoon on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Mix in cinnamon and nutmeg. Add potatoes and chicken broth and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or until the potatoes soften. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally and add water if mixture seems dry. Remove from heat, cover and let cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
2. Thaw frozen pastry shells according to product instructions and roll out pastry dough into 1/4 inch thickness. *(or bring pie crusts to room temperature)
3. Preheat oven to 375F and place rack on lowest position.

4. Fill pie shell with cool meat mixture and cover with pastry dough. Put 2 pats of butter on top of meat mixture of each pie. Cover with top crust, crimp and seal edges. Cut steam vents in the centre of the pie. Brush egg wash over the top of the pie and bake for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden.

5. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving

The sweetness in the sausage definitely came through to subdue the strong smokey flavours of nutmeg and cinnamon. The mix of sausage meat and ground beef brightened up the the dish overall and brought the tourtière out of the woods from its “Coureur de bois” cabin and into an 8th floor Condo in Griffintown.

Give it a shot this holiday season! This tourtière freezes well and will keep in the freezer for months.

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This is a sponsored post. Thoughts and opinions are my own.