Buffalo Pot Pie with Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

A true winter warmer, this recipe required more math than I typically tolerate in the kitchen. Fortunately it was worth the struggle because once it's done it's done and you won't have to do it. Originally designed to 'feed a crowd' I cut the recipe in half and dividing by 2 is usually within my abilities, but dividing a recipe in two that I added a bit to here and subtracted a bit from there... is tricky.

This dish also works well with ground beef, but I find buffalo to be more flavorful. Just decrease the ammount of butter used to cook the meat if you use beef since it is less lean than buffalo. You can also make this dish ahead of time- just assemble the meat and vegetable part of the pie, cover it, and refrigerate until you wish to eat it. Then prepare the recipe as written.

Buffalo Pot Pie

1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cubed (3/4 for biscuit- chilled and cut into 1 inch cubes, 1/4 for buffalo)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1.5 pounds ground buffalo
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 milk

1 cup chicken stock
5-ounces frozen peas


Biscuits
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon salt
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/6 cups milk


- Preheat oven to 450°F and place the rack in the upper third of the oven.

-In a medium skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter and add the beef, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until no trace of pink remains and any liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.

- While the buffalo cooks heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots and parsnips; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Remove the lid and cook the vegetables until they are lightly browned.

- Combine the cooked buffalo with the vegetables in the large pot. Stir in 1/4 cup of the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the 1 1/2 cups of milk and the chicken stock and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

- Put the 2 cups of flour in a food processor work bowl. Cut in the remaining 3/4 stick of butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Move the coarse meal into a medium bowl and mix in the cheddar. Stir in the remaining 1 1/6 cups of milk until a smooth dough forms. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, arrange 18 mounds of the biscuit dough on the filling in each baking dish.

- Bake potpie on the top rack of the oven for 40 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the biscuits are cooked through. Turn on the broiler and broil for 1 minute or until the biscuits are golden. Let the potpies rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Food & Wine, Grace Parisi