When you have a lot of leftover meat, like a large portion of sugar-glazed ham after a weekend meal with family, there’s no better follow-up meal to make than a ham potpie. This cozy ham potpie recipe, made with a homemade flaky pie crust and a gravy-like filling, will use up your leftovers and feed a crowd. Mixed with hearty vegetables like potatoes, carrots and celery, this ham potpie is an easy meal that doesn’t need side dishes to have you and your family contentedly full after dinner.
Ham Potpie Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: Flour is used as the base to help structure the pie crust.
- Cold butter: Cold butter is cubed and cut into the pie crust to give it structure. The colder it is, the flakier your crust will be!
Filling:
- Cooked ham: Use up the cooked ham you have by cutting it into small bite-sized cubes and tossing it into this recipe.
- Peas: Fresh or frozen peas will both work for this ham potpie recipe.
- Potatoes: White potatoes are used in this recipe to make it heartier and filling. Yellow potatoes could also work if you have those on hand. While peeling the potatoes is part of the recipe, it’s not necessary if you prefer the salty taste of the potato peel.
- Carrots: Carrots help to add more bulk to this ham potpie, while also adding a touch of sweetness.
- Celery: Celery is also chopped up as part of a mirepoix for this dish.
- Onion: Yellow or white onions will work well as the aromatic for this ham potpie recipe.
- Butter: Butter is also used to make a roux for the filling.
- Flour: Flour is used as the thickener in the gravy-like filling for this potpie.
- Tarragon: Dried tarragon enhances the flavor of this ham potpie.
- Milk: Milk is used to loosen up the filling and make it creamier. While 2% is preferred, a fattier milk like whole milk will also work. A little more milk will be brushed on top of the crust to make it shiny and golden.
- Chicken broth: Along with the milk, chicken broth is used to loosen up the filling to give you that thick soup-like texture we love in a potpie.
Directions
Step 1: Make the crust
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt, then cut in the butter by adding it in small cubes and mixing until it becomes crumbly. Gradually add in the cold water, tossing the dough with a fork until it forms into a ball. Set aside a third of the dough.
Step 2: Shape the crust in the pan
Roll out the remaining dough until it will cover a 2-1/2-quart baking dish. Press the dough into the baking dish, then trim the extra around the edges. Set it aside.
Step 3: Make the filling
In a large bowl, combine the cooked ham, peas, potatoes, carrots, celery and onion, and set it aside. In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour, tarragon, salt and pepper until everything is smooth. Gradually stir in the milk and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook for 2 minutes until thickened, stirring consistently. Stir the broth mixture into the ham and vegetables.
Step 4: Add the filling and top crust
Pour the filling into the prepared pan with the crust. Roll out the reserved dough to fit the top of the pie, then make small cutouts in the pastry. Place it over the filling, then trim the extra dough and flute the edges to seal. Brush additional milk over the pastry.
Step 5: Bake the potpie
Bake the ham potpie in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Let the potpie stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Ham Potpie Variations
- Use different proteins: While this particular ham potpie recipe has you working with cooked ham, it also works just as well with other proteins you might have on hand, like cooked turkey or chicken.
- Make them mini: While this ham potpie makes for one big potpie to share in a casserole dish, you could also prepare smaller versions in ramekins for your guests. Split the dough into smaller circles and prepare the ramekins in the same way you would prepare the regular baking dish, then proceed as normal.
- Use a pie shield: Are the edges of your potpie browning too fast? Use a pie shield to keep them from burning so the rest of your potpie can cook evenly.
How to Store Ham Potpie
No need to transfer a potpie to an airtight container; you can simply leave it in the pan and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. This ham potpie will last in the fridge for three to five days. When it’s time to eat, pop it in the oven at 375°, uncovered, until the filling is bubbling again.
Can you freeze ham potpie?
Yes! Potpie is a great meal to prepare and freeze for later. Assemble the ham potpie like you normally would, but seal it and pop it in the freezer instead of baking it. When it’s time to cook, you can put it right in the oven at 375° from frozen; just give it 15 or 20 minutes extra cooking time to cook thoroughly.
Ham Potpie Tips
Why is my ham potpie soupy?
Is your ham potpie filling a little too loose? You may have added too much liquid and didn’t give it enough time to cook down and thicken up. Keep cooking it and stirring consistently until that consistency is thick and has enough of a hold that you can use a fork instead of a spoon.
Can you use store-bought crust for potpie?
Yes! A refrigerated flaky pie crust will work for this recipe. However, the pie crusts at the store might not be big enough for this particular recipe, so you might need to buy two boxes and prepare two potpies in 9-inch pie dishes to use up all the ham potpie filling.
How do you keep the bottom pie crust from getting soggy in a potpie?
Because this potpie is assembled with unbaked pie crust, the crust at the bottom typically is softer than the crust at the top. To give it more structure, you can do a blind bake of the bottom pie crust before filling it, or brush it with egg whites to help create a cooked layer between the crust and the filling, giving the bottom pie crust the ability to crisp up.
