Meat Pie (Montana)

Similar to a Canadian Tourtière, this Montana Meat Pie is perfect for those cold Montana winters and great for pot-lucks.

2 large onions, thinly sliced
¼ cup Canola oil
2 lbs ground beef
2 lbs ground pork
3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 cups potatoes, cooked and mashed
1 Tbsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly cracked
2 (9") double crust pastry dough
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7).

In a Dutch oven, sauté onions in oil until tender. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, cook beef and pork over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Remove from the heat. Add the onions, vegetables, potatoes and seasonings.

Line two 9” pie plates with bottom crusts; trim pastry even with edge of plate. Fill each with about 5 cups filling. Roll out remaining pastry to fit tops of pies; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in pastry and brush tops with egg.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F. Cover edges loosely with foil and bake 35-40 minutes longer or until crusts are golden brown.

Makes 2 pies (8 servings each).

Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw).