I love the fall, and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in that sentiment. I welcome the cooler temperatures, the changing leaves, the sweaters, but most importantly the recipes! I’ve never made a homemade, from scratch pot pie so this one that uses puff pastry as the pie topper sounded perfect. Besides the carrots, onion, and sweet potato, I added in one more root vegetable, a turnip, and some leftover chicken from the night before’s dinner, that I shredded into chunks.

Once you get the vegetable chopping out of the way, the rest is simple. My biggest tip would be to have the puff pastry overlap the edges a little so that you don’t get the sauce bubbling up over the top. I reheated a portion of it in the oven the next day for lunch and it was just as delicious. The thyme helped add flavor and I recommend not skimping on the salt and pepper.

Williams-Sonoma’s Root Vegetable (and Chicken) Pot Pie

Recipe adapted from: Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, One Pot, by Carrolyn Carreño (Oxmoor House, 2008). 

Serves: 4 to 6

You can easily vary the root vegetables in this delicious dish. Shop at a farmers’ market for the best selection of rutabagas, potatoes, turnips and other seasonal root vegetables. Buy enough to yield a heaping 6 cups of chopped vegetables. 

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1 Tbs. leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• *Optional: 1/2 rotisserie or cooked chicken, cut or shredded into chunks

Directions:

1. Preheat an oven to 400ºF. On a floured work surface, roll the puff pastry to fit a 2-quart baking dish. Place the pastry on a sheet of parchment paper and refrigerate.
2. In the baking dish, toss the carrots, onion, sweet potato, parsnips and thyme sprigs with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer and roast until the vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. 
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the flour, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil, then stir in the thyme leaves. 
4. Remove the thyme sprigs from the roasted vegetables and discard the sprigs. Increase the oven temperature to 450F. Add the pre-cooked/rotisserie shredded chicken to the vegetables. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and carefully fit on top of the vegetables. Pastry should slightly overlap the edges but cut off too much excess. Bake until the pastry is golden and puffed and the filling is bubbling, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve directly from the pan.