Creamy Vegetable Skillet “Pot Pie”

This is my rendition of a classic “pot pie” done in a cast iron skillet. It has no bottom crust, thus not making it a traditional pot pie. I like this recipe because many times, there’s more crust than filling. This way, you get all the goodness of the flaky top layer without the often-soggy bottom! *Laurie’s Cooking Tip: If you choose, you can add whichever protein you want (shrimp, chicken, beef, turkey or anything else). I used lightly dusted cayenne pepper, raw shrimp. Shrimp cooks quickly so I used raw shrimp. If you are going to add another protein, you’ll want to cook it first and add to the mixture before baking!!

Creamy Vegetable Skillet “Pot Pie” Recipe

Ingredients (Serves 5-6)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 (8-oz.) package sliced mushrooms of choice
4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium leeks (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced and rinsed (about 2 cups)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
¼ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons crème fraiche (or Mexican crema)
2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
1 frozen puff pastry sheet, thawed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 ounces fresh or frozen peas
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Optional: Your choice of protein (shrimp, chicken, beef, turkey or anything else)

Directions

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in lower third position. Heat butter and oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high until butter is melted and foamy. Add mushrooms in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown and crispy on bottoms, about 5 minutes. Toss mushrooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid releases and evaporates, about 4 minutes.

Step 2: Add carrots, leeks, and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are just beginning to soften and leeks are tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

Step 3: Sprinkle evenly with flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are fully coated and flour smells nutty and turns golden brown, about 1 minute.

Step 4: Add stock; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid starts to thicken, about 3 minutes.

Step 5: Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream, creme fraiche, mustard, and remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Set aside to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Step 6: While veggie mixture is cooling, roll pastry sheet out onto a lightly floured work surface into a 12-inch square. Cut evenly into 3 (4-inch-wide) strips. Cut each strip evenly into 6 triangles. Stir together egg and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 7: Stir peas into warm vegetable mixture in skillet. *Laurie’s Cooking Tip: At this point, if chosen, add your cooked protein or raw shrimp and press down into mixture. In the photos below, you’ll see I patted raw shrimp dry with paper towels and dusted with cayenne pepper.

Step 8: Arrange pastry triangles in a concentric-circle pattern over mixture, leaving a slight (about ½ inch) overhang around skillet edges and slightly overlapping triangles (some vegetable mixture will still be exposed around edges). Brush pastry with egg mixture; sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Step 9: Place a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil on oven rack; place skillet on sheet. Bake in preheated oven until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly around edges, about 20 - 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

*Laurie’s Serving Tip: For aesthetics, I cut the top, flaky layer into servable portions and set aside. I then scooped out the bottom mixture into serving bowls and placed the puff pastry layer on top to serve.