An elegant, individually portioned take on potpie.
Potpie tends to be a fairly rustic dish. This version has all the element of a great one: meat, vegetables, a flavorful sauce, and a flaky pie crust. But, to elevate the experience a bit, it features tender slow cooked lamb, along with butternut squash and mushrooms, lightly coated in a delicious gravy. The pie topping is puff pastry for supreme flakiness. And it is individually portioned for clean serving. If thought potpie wasn’t fit for a date-night, this may just change your mind.
Lamb, Butternut Squash, and Mushroom Potpie
For this recipe melt-in-your-mouth braised lamb and roasted vegetables are tossed with (but not swimming in) a flavorful gravy and covered by a flakey, buttery pastry topping. Individually portioned for clean and easy serving, this meal manages to be both comforting and elegant and is perfect for a stay-in date night.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lamb shoulder trimmed, deboned, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 2 shallots chopped
- 1 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp dry red wine
- 2 cups beef broth
- 10 oz butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 Yukon Gold potatoes scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 oz 5-6 cremini mushrooms, cut in quarters
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 sage leaves chopped
- 1 sheet Puff pastry
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°. In a Dutch oven heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Add to pot and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. Remove to a plate, leaving any drippings in the pot.
- Add shallots to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in the flour and stir for 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine and chicken stock, bring to a low boil and then reduce heat to get a low simmer. Add lamb back to pot, stir and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cover. Transfer to oven.
- In a large bowl combine butternut squash, potatoes, mushrooms, cumin, smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Transfer to a sheet pan and bake for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through.
- Remove vegetables and lamb from the oven and mix together. Add in sage and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Increase oven temperature to 425°. Roll out puff pastry if needed and cut to fit the top of 2 oven safe bowls. Divide filling amongst bowls. Place puff pastry on top. In a small bowl beat together the egg with 1 tbsp water. Brush some egg mixture on top of each crust. Pierce each several times with a paring knife.
- Transfer bowls to a sheet pan and bake of 25-30 minutes until crust is deeply golden. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Precut butternut squash will save a lot of time in this recipe. Alternatively, substitute 3 carrots for the squash. Beef stew meat could be subbed in for lamb shoulder. All butter puff pastry will be best but any will do. If you prefer it could be baked all together in a small skillet or casserole dish instead of individually.
