I made this; the only change I made was to use all lean ground beef (didn't have any ground pork on hand and couldn't wait to make it!). The whole family raved and went back for seconds. If you are the kind of cook who aggressively salts the water when cooking potatoes, you may want to be careful about how much salt you add to the water in this recipe--you'll be adding that potato cooking water to the meat mixture which already has a good amount of salt in it thanks to the spice mix.
This was such a hit, I'm making 4 more to freeze to enjoy during the holidays. Chef John is my hero!
I'm from Quebec and i agree this recipe is pretty spot on. However, skip the cayenne pepper, it has no business here. Made it without it and they came out perfect, well worth the effort and a great holiday treat, family was raving about it and agreed the spice was right (without the cayenne). Do not substitute from the kosher salt, used sea salt once and it didn't come out as it should have. I always used the Pillsbury ready crusts, time saver and just as good.
Well I did what no one should EVER do and I prepared this recipe for the first time ever for my family Winter Solstice dinner. It turned out perfect (and I even had my Canadian b'friend there who gave it the stamp of approval) and everyone loved it. Very filling and tasty. The crust was magnificent and I will NEVER make another kind of pie crust. I won't say that I won't ever use premade again because I can foresee that happening if I need it in a hurry but if you follow Chef John's directions you will feel like a pastry chef when it's complete! I wish I had made a picture. Next time!
Delicious! I used pillsbury prerolled crust to save time. I grated one carrot into the meat mixture while cooking. Other than that I followed the recipe. Reminds me of my Nan’s.
I made this exactly to the recipe. We loved it. It was so flavorful with all the different spices in it. Served with macaroni and cheese. I made the filling and the dough the night before to break up the work a little bit. I m glad I did. Will definitely make this again. Update: Oh my heavens it is even better the second day. When I had mad the filling the night before I thought that would be a better flair( ususally us in any recipe) but the next day was incredible. My husband said can we try more Canadian food? to which I had a good chuckle.
The spices are great and they give the meat pie a bit of tang. I cooked ground beef and ground turkey together. Added 2 large onions chopped to the meat mixture, which I covered with water and boiled for 20 minutes until all meat and onions were cooked. I then strain the meat and liquid. I put the liquid in the fridge so the fat comes to the top, I then scrape the fat off and thicken the liquid (make a gravy). I add the meat to the pie shell and then add the gravy to the pie, enough to make it wet but not runny, I did not use potatoes.. I really only used the spices and then made my pie the way my mother taught me. I am Canadian and love meat pie. I make my own crust with Tenderflake lard. Delicious. I may put them in tart shells. Makes a more individual serving. Delicious. A real treat.
Followed the recipe - far too salty. I will make it again, but adjust the salt.
I used a mix of beef, pork and veal and to save some time I used pre-made crust. It was really good. My husband loved it!
I made this with my not so great baking skills. The pie crust was easy and Soooo good. The recipe was outstanding. My husband loved it and so did I. The spices were very unusual but the flavor was absolutely amazing. I'll never try another pie crust this was so good. Today a pie crust tomorrow perhaps a cake!!!!!!
