Veggie Pot Pie with a Cheesy Crust

Pot pies mean comfort food to me.  A hot, creamy filling and a flaky pastry sound so good.  And I love when they're made into individual portions so I can have my little savory pie all to myself.  As for the filling itself, Brian finds a chicken pot pie comforting but I prefer my chicken served on the side.  Or, if I have a pot pie, then not even at all.  Creamy veggies make me the happiest.

And therein lies the other advantage of individual pies because you can customize them.  The basic filling is the same and you can add or omit veggies based on what you like...or have in the house.  I added cooked shredded chicken to Brian's pie and added the potato to mine to make it heartier.  It was a filling and feel good meal.  So much so that we made it two nights in a row.  Enjoy!










Ingredients

Crust:
1 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon baking powder
1 Stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
1/4 Cup ice water
1/4 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Filling:
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 Onion, peeled and chopped
2 Cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 Carrot, peeled and diced
1 Red potato, peeled and diced
1/2 Cup frozen peas
1 Cup milk
Salt & pepper to taste

To make the crust, combine the butter, flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor with a steel blade and pulse just until it resembles course crumbs. Slowly pour in the ice water and pulse almost until a dough ball forms.  Add the cheese and continue pulsing until you have a dough ball.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

To make the filling, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pan and add the onion, garlic, carrots and potatoes.  Saute on low to medium heat until all the vegetables have softened.  Stir in the peas and remove the vegetables into a dish.  Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the pan and whisk in the flour.  Slowly whisk in the milk and continue whisking until all the flour has dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken.  Add the vegetables back into the pan and season to taste.

Roll out the dough and use your baking dish or ramekin (mine are 2 1/2" high and 4 1/2" in diameter) as a guide to cut two circles.  Place each circle in the bottom of each of two dishes.  Divide the vegetable mixture equally between the two dishes.  Cut two more rounds out of your dough, each about 2" wider than the mouth of your dishes.  Cover each dish with a dough circle and cut a few slits into the top.  Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 40 - 45 minutes or until your crust is a light golden brown.  Makes 2 servings.