To make it easy, you can always buy some stock and even pre-made crust. I would really advise making your own stock though. The flavors are so much better. You can pair this with a nice Pinot. We did, and dove into numerous blends with our guests.
Only snapped a couple quick photos of the finished product
Shopping list....
1 Large baking potato cut into 1/2" pieces
11/2 lb butternut squash (neck only) cut into 1/2" pieces
2 raw chicken breast cut into 1/2" pieces seasoned w/ S&P
1 cup frozen pearl onions
2 carrots sliced thin
1 stick unsalted butter
1 sweet onion diced
1.5 Tbsp chopped fresh sage
2.0 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1.5 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
13/4 lb fresh mixed mushrooms stemmed and sliced (more varietals the better)
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup flour
6 cups mushroom stock
S & P
Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, toss the potato, squash, pearl onions and carrots with 3 tablespoons of the butter. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once, until tender. Lower the oven temperature to 350°.
Meanwhile in a large deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the chicken, diced onion, sage, thyme and rosemary and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until the chicken is cooked through and onion is softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until blended into the mushrooms, 1 minute. Add the mushroom stock and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted vegetables and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the pot pie filling into eight 1-cup ramekins. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Working with one ball at a time, roll out the dough to a round that’s 2 inches bigger than the rim of the ramekin. Drape the dough over the rim so there’s a 1-inch overhang all around; trim any excess dough. Brush the dough rounds with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter and arrange the ramekins on 2 baking sheets.
Bake the potpies for about 30 minutes, until the crust is deeply golden and risen; switch the sheets halfway through baking. Let the pies rest for 5 minutes before serving
Roasted veggies and Chicken Mixture. The kitchen smells insane at this point.
Ready for the ramekins
Here's what you start with for your stock
And here is what you get. Soooo worth it.
Stock.....
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb white mushrooms, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 thyme sprig
1 rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup Marsala
2 quarts water
In a pot, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and peppercorns and cook over high heat until the vegetables are softened, 15 minutes. Add the Marsala and cook until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until reduced to 6 cups, 2 hours. Strain the stock, pressing down on the solids.
For the dough if you dare....
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup instant potato flakes
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 envelopes instant dry yeast
1 large egg
In a standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the 3 cups of flour with the potato flakes and salt. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk, butter and sugar just until warm (not hot). Stir in the yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the yeast mixture to the mixing bowl with the egg and beat at medium speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead about 3 minutes.
Spray the bowl with vegetable spray and add the dough. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down the dough and transfer to a floured work surface. Let rest for 5 minutes before using.
