Meat Pie (Québec Tourtière du Saguenay à la Loulou)

Tourtière might be the most classic of Canadian dishes. Every Franco-Canadian family has its own recipe, whether it lives in Québec, Acadia, Ontario, or even New England. Tourtière is almost always part of the Christmas or New Year's dinner. The word "tourtière" is a generic term for pâté en croute. The classic meat pie usually includes ground pork, veal or beef, and potatoes. That said, there is a wide variety of tourtière. Some include wild game, or even fish. Here is Québec's Tourtière du Saguenay à la Loulou.

Filling:
1½ lb ground pork
1½ lb ground beef
1 lb ground veal
2 chicken breasts, boneless, finely diced
2 onions, finely diced
3 slices salted bacon
10 potatoes, cubed

Pastry:
9 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
1½ lbs lard or shortening
2 cups water, cold
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tsp. water, for glaze

Make the Filling:
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Put at least 10 large potatoes in cubes and mix them with the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Do not over salt. Set aside.

Make the Pastry:
Mix the flour very well with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the fat and mix very well with a dough whisk.

Add water a little at a time. You can add a little less water, to taste.

Roll out the dough to least ¼" (0.5 cm) thick. Place ⅔ of the dough in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Add the meat and potatoes.

Cover with approximately 4 cups of broth, or enough to cover the meat and potatoes.

Place the remaining pastry on top of the filling. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust and pinch or flute the edges. Brush with egg wash and cut ventilation holes, by making slitds or pricking with a fork. Decorate with any remaining dough bits, if desired.

Bake in a preheated 250°F (120°C) oven for at least 8 hours or until pastry is cooked through and golden brown.

Makes 10 servings.