Tourtière
As the year rolls on, Anthony and I are having the best time eating our way around the world—one spin of the food wheel at a time. This month, the wheel dropped us right into Canada, and I couldn’t have been happier. The dish I picked was Tourtière, a classic French‑Canadian meat pie that traces its roots back to Quebec and usually shows up around Christmas and New Year’s.
Now, were we thinking about Christmas in the middle of an August heatwave? Absolutely not. But let me tell you—this cozy little meat pie didn’t care what month it was. It was delicious.
True to form, I dove into the research, watched more YouTube videos than I’ll ever admit, and stitched together a version that felt right for us. One Canadian chef mentioned that Tourtière is traditionally pretty mild in flavor… and you know us. Bland doesn’t live at our house. So we nudged it forward with a few seasonings and made it our own.
The fun part? The possibilities here are endless. And honestly, this pie reminded me so much of a famous handheld meat pie from my home state of Louisiana. If you’ve ever had a Natchitoches Meat Pie, you know exactly what I mean. Maybe that one needs to make an appearance later this year.
Ingredients
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1 medium onion, diced
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2 stalks celery, diced
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2+ cloves garlic, minced (you do you)
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2 tsp avocado oil (or any neutral oil)
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1 Tbsp kosher salt
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1 tsp fresh‑ground black pepper
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1 tsp allspice
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1 tsp dried thyme (or double if using fresh)
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½ tsp dried mustard
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¼ tsp dried sage
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1 lb ground beef
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1 lb ground pork
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2 cups beef stock
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1 peeled Idaho potato, cut into chunks
Directions
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Start the aromatics: Dice your onion and celery, mince the garlic, and let them soften (not fry!) in a large heavy skillet with the avocado oil. You’re building flavor here, not browning.
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Bloom the seasonings: Once the veggies are soft, sprinkle in the salt, pepper, allspice, thyme, mustard, and sage. Let everything bloom for 1–2 minutes — this wakes up the spices and makes the whole kitchen smell amazing.
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Cook the potato in broth: In a small pot, add your peeled potato chunks and cover them with beef stock. Let them simmer until tender. This step infuses the potato with flavor and gives you a rich broth to use later.
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Add the meats: Add the ground beef and pork to your skillet. Cook until just done — no crunchy bits. You want tender, juicy meat that will melt into the pie.
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Mash in the potato: When the potato is cooked through, add it to the skillet and mash it gently into the meat mixture. The potato acts as a binder and gives the filling that classic Tourtière texture.
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Simmer the filling: Pour in 1–2 cups of the beef stock you used for the potato. Cover and let the mixture simmer for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, if you still have a lot of liquid (I did!), uncover the skillet and let it cook another 30 minutes so the excess can evaporate. The meat should be tender and cohesive — perfect for pie.
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Cool the filling: Set the meat aside and let it come to room temperature. You can also make it a day ahead and refrigerate it — just bring it close to room temp before filling your pie.
Now for the Pie Assembly & Baking
Once your pie crust is nestled into the pie dish, spoon in the meat‑and‑potato mixture. Make sure you’re not adding too much liquid — I didn’t have much left, but I still used a slotted spoon to be safe.
Add your top crust, and don’t forget a vent hole for steam. I attempted a maple leaf… let’s just say my pastry artistry is still a work in progress.
Bake at 375°F for 1 hour, placing a baking sheet underneath in case of bubble‑over. Let the pie sit for at least 15 minutes before serving so everything settles into that perfect sliceable goodness.