Carol Pouliot’s Tourtière recipe

Background: Carol learned this recipe at the chef’s elbow by carefully watching Memère Hallé cook these in the 1980s. Carol then used her own cooking skills to match the mix of spices until it was just right! 


Says Carol: 

  • I wanted to make the Tourtiere as close to Mémère Hallé’s recipe as possible, so I combined two recipes.

  • Then I use half of the hamburger and half of the pork to come up to 1.5 pounds. If I have more meat I split it evenly between ground pork and ground beef. I try to make the meat filling  the day before.   It tastes so much better when the spices have had some time in the meat. 

  • I use two onions and one large russet potato (cooked and mashed).   I only add water if the mixture seems dry.

  • I use the spices from both in my recipes so it is really savory.

  • I buy a pie crust – too much trouble to make! I use Pillsbury’s pie crust.

  • I don’t spread egg over my crust but you could if you wanted to.

Enjoy!

Love,

Carol with inspiration from Jean’s family

INGREDIENTS

  • ¾ pound ground pork -- or half of the pork

  • ¾  pound of ground beef -- or half of the beef

  • 1 onions, or more to taste

  • 1  large russet potato

  • Pie crust – I use Pillsbury’s

  • Spices:

    • 1-½ tsp salt

    • ½ tsp ground black pepper, allspice, nutmeg

    • 1 tsp cinnamon, savory

    • ¼  tsp ground cloves and thyme 

    • 3 tsp of bottled garlic (=3 cloves minced garlic)

DIRECTIONS

  • Peel and cut potatoes into ¾” cubes and boil until soft. Mash them. 

  • Peel and dice the onion

  • Sauté meat and onion in a large flat pan. Add water if the mixture looks dry. 

  • Stir all the spices to the meat and onion mix

  • Place a pie crust over the bottom of a pie pan. Ladle in the meat-spice mixture. Cover with the other pie crust. Pierce with a fork and score the edges of the pie.

  • Cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then move it down to 350 degrees 30-45 minutes until the crust is brown around the edges.