Tourtière

Ingredients

• 400g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 225g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 100ml ice-cold water
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp milk, for glazing
• 700g minced pork
• 250g minced beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled
• 250ml beef or chicken stock
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp dried summer savory
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Before you cook

• Rub the cubed butter into the flour and salt until you have flakes the size of almonds, then bring it together with the vinegar and just enough ice water to form a dough
• Divide the pastry in two, one piece slightly larger, flatten them into discs, wrap them and chill for at least 1 hour
• Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic
• Peel one potato and cut it into chunks for boiling, and grate the second one coarsely

Steps

1. Boil the chunked potato in salted water for 15 minutes until tender, then drain and mash it and set it aside.
2. Cook the onion and garlic in a large heavy pan over medium heat for 6 minutes until soft.
3. Add the minced pork and beef and break them up with a spoon, cooking for 8 minutes until no pink remains.
4. Stir in the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, savory, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute so the spices bloom in the fat.
5. Pour in the stock and add the grated raw potato.
6. Simmer the filling uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the liquid has gone and the mixture holds its shape when you drag a spoon through it.
7. Beat the mashed potato into the filling to bind it, then taste and correct the seasoning aggressively, since the pastry will mute it.
8. Spread the filling on a tray and let it cool to room temperature, which takes about 30 minutes.
9. Heat the oven to 200C and put a baking tray on the middle shelf to preheat.
10. Roll the larger pastry disc out and line a 23cm pie dish, letting the excess hang over the rim.
11. Pack the cooled filling into the shell and level the top.
12. Roll the second disc out, lay it over the filling, trim the overhang to 1cm and crimp the two crusts together firmly.
13. Cut three or four steam vents in the lid and brush the whole top with the egg wash.
14. Bake the pie on the hot tray for 45 to 50 minutes until the crust is deep golden and the vents show bubbling juices.
15. Rest the tourtière for 20 minutes before cutting so the slices hold together, and serve with ketchup or a fruit chutney as Quebec does.