I’ve found mothering a one-year-old and four-year-old to be particularly challenging of late. With that, I’ve realized that I cope much better when I am well-fed. It makes such a difference in my life when I take the time to prepare nourishing and comforting food. This curry potpie is nutrient dense, being composed largely of vegetables. At the same time, it fulfills the role of comfort food, with the classic buttery crust.

Indeed, the golden top is the main point of a potpie! This is the first potpie I’ve made in years and the first crust I’ve made with a rolling pin since I left home. Over the last decade, I’ve made many quiches, pies and galettes, but I’ve always used the piece-and-smoosh method for my crusts, and called them rustic. However, I am very glad to have a French rolling pin now and it served me well for this recipe. Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to get the dough thin enough to stretch over the entire dish. My four-year-old enjoyed helping me roll out the crust, too.

This recipe is flavorful, but not overly spicy. My one-year-old happily ate soft, saucy cauliflower florets and crust. I sat her on my apron on my lap and fed her with my fork, to avoid staining the high chair and floor with bright yellow curry. She liked it so much, she signed for more and grabbed at the plate.

I like the simplicity of the vegetables in this dish. However, the combination of the curry with the crust subtly reminded me of a good Indian samosa, and made me want more of that flavor. It would be superb with the addition of a thin-cut potato, a few frozen peas, and a dash of cayenne.

I greatly increased the quantity of vegetables from the original recipe which I worked from. I’m not sure how many quarts of food it came out to, but the dimensions of my baking dish are 12.75″x8″x3″. Also, this makes about eight servings. To reheat, cover with foil and heat in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, removing the foil for the last ten minutes or so, to crisp up the crust.

Curry Chicken Potpie

Adapted from Curried Chicken Potpie sourced on marthastewart.com

• Yield: 8 servings
• Preparation time varies greatly, depending on how many children are pulling on your apron! I was interrupted several times, to see to baby, assist with a wooden beading project, and finally feed and put baby down for a nap. The original Martha Stewart recipe states that Prep Time is 45 minutes and Total Time with cooking is 1 hour 45 minutes.

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1 ¼ level cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 5 tablespoons ice water

• Filling:
• 5 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• ½ level cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• ¾ pound (12 ounces) green beans, cut in 1″ pieces
• 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
• pepper to taste
• 3 cups shredded chicken

Method

1. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 5 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1 tablespoon of ice water); do not overmix. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight (or freeze, up to 1 month).
2. Make the filling: In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and cauliflower and cook until just softened, 8-10 minutes. Add garlic and curry powder and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add flour and stir to coat vegetables. Add broth, whisking until sauce is smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in green beans. Season with salt and pepper, tasting for flavor. Stir in chicken. Pour filling into baking dish. Preheat oven to 375°F.
3. On a floured work surface, roll out dough to ⅛-inch thickness. Place dough over dish and fold overhang inward while pinching to crimp edge. Cut vents in dough. Place dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling around edge, approximately 50 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.