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overhead photo of a golden baked tourtière from French-Canada

Tourtière (Québécois Christmas Pie)

A classic Québécois tourtière, or French-Canadian Christmas meat pie, with a flaky double crust and a savory filling of ground beef and pork, mashed potatoes, and warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and thyme. Bake in a cast iron pan or a 9-inch pie tin until golden.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Canadian
Servings 1 pie

Ingredients
  

  • 1 batch Flaky Pie Dough
  • 1 tbsp Oil any cooking oil
  • lbs Ground Beef
  • 1 lb Ground Pork
  • 1 lb Potatoes Yukon Gold or Russet
  • 1 Medium Onion, diced
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • ¼ cup Red Wine
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning Mix of thyme, rosemary, basil, oregano, and marjoram
  • ¾ tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp Ground Allspice
  • ½ tsp Ground Yellow Mustard
  • ¼ tsp Ground Cloves
  • 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Salt more to taste
  • 2 tbsp Heavy Whipping Cream optional

Instructions
 

Make Mashed Potatoes

  • In a large pot, bring 4 cups of water* and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil.
  • Peel the potatoes and add them to the pot. Boil for 20–30 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork
  • Reserve ½ cup of the potato water, then drain and mash the potatoes. Set aside.

Make the Tourtière Filling

  • Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet (10-inch or larger) over medium heat.
  • Add the diced onion and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring regularly until softened and beginning to brown.
  • Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes, until fragrant.
  • Add the ground beef and pork, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
  • Once the meat is no longer pink, add in the spices, salt, and red wine.
  • When the wine has cooked off, add the reserved ½ cup of potato water.
  • Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the mashed potatoes until fully combined.
  • Let the filling cool completely. For best flavor and texture, refrigerate overnight before assembling the pie.

Assemble the Tourtière

  • Roll out the prepared pie dough into two rounds about 2 mm thick and at least 2 inches wider than your 8- or 9-inch cast iron pan.
  • Fit one round into the pan, pressing gently into the corners and leaving about 1 inch of overhang.
  • Add the cooled filling, pressing down firmly to remove air pockets and spread evenly.
  • Place the second round of dough on top and trim it about ½ inch shorter than the bottom crust.
  • Seal the edges using your preferred method (crimp or press with a fork).
  • Brush the crust with cream, then cut several small vents for steam.
  • Chill the pie while preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Bake for 1 hour, or until the crust is golden brown.
  • Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving.

Notes

*Or you can first make onion stock with the discarded onion bits from dicing the medium onion by rinsing them and simmering them in the water for 20 minutes.
Keyword christmas, meat pie, savory pie
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