Pioneer Pie (Meat Pie) Recipe

Pioneer Pie (Prep. time about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Serves 14)

1 small turnip, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 large potato, prepared as your usual mashed potato recipe

1 medium onion, diced

1 Tb. olive oil

2 Tb. butter

3 Tb. flour

1 lb. ground bison (buffalo), or you can use ground beef or ground turkey

1 ½ C. beef broth

salt/pepper

1 C. frozen peas

1 C. shredded mild cheddar cheese

(Biscuit top)

2 C. flour

1 Tb. baking powder

pinch of salt

2 sticks of cold butter, cubed

¾ C milk 

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare the mashed potato ahead, using whatever your traditional method is.  You may want to add a little extra liquid, though, to make the mashed potatoes easier to spread over the meat. You can also do the biscuit dough ahead.  Mix all ingredients for the biscuit by hand (or cop out and use boxed biscuit mix).  You can roll out for a single sheet to top the pie or do by drops.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter. Saute turnip and carrot until just starting to soften. Add onion and continue to sauté until onion is translucent.  Stir in flour to thicken.  Add the meat and sauté until it starts to get brown. Stir in salt and pepper and add peas.  Add enough broth for the mixture to be moist and have some “gravy”, but not too wet.

Pour half of the meat/vegetable mixture into the pan. Spread the mashed potato over the mix and sprinkle cheddar cheese over that. Pour the other half of the meat on top of the potato/ cheese layer and top with the biscuit dough.  Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until the biscuit layer is done and golden brown. 

Believe it or not, you could really go Pioneer and make this in a heavy cast-iron pot or skillet on campfire coals.  Cooking time would be substantially longer.  Let me know if you try that and how it turned out.  I’ll stick to my stove and oven, even in the camper!

Thanks to Down to Earth Whole Foods in Endicott for sponsoring Foodie Fridays!