Turkey Hash Pie

My first exposure to the simple pleasure of a good hash was the corned beef kind I used to get at McSorley's - New York's oldest and most glorious ale house - during my senior year of college. Served hot with pickled red cabbage and some good rye bread, it quickly became my favorite item on the menu. (That I spent so many lunch breaks at McSorley's explains a few things about my senior year, but that's a story for another time and place.)

From that humble first impression, hash took on a new respectability for me years later when I learned chicken hash was served at Truman Capote's famous "Black-and-White Ball" at the Plaza Hotel in 1966. That was it; hash was now the big-time.

This week's recipe uses ground turkey, but using leftover cooked chicken or turkey would save a bit of cooking time and would work nearly as well. The list of ingredients looks long, but that's both the nature of hash and part of its charm.

You'll also need a 9" pie crust. Buy one if you like, but an earlier post on this site gave a recipe for a very good (I think) reduced fat pie crust. You make the call. This recipe makes one 9" pie, about four servings.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the oven is ready, blind-bake the pie crust to completion, then set it aside. While the crust is baking, prepare the other ingredients, checking the crust periodically to keep it from burning. 

After the pie crust is finished, increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Toss four medium, cubed potatoes and ½ tablespoon of minced garlic with 2 Tbsp of olive oil to coat. Place the mixture on a baking sheet in a single layer, season with salt, and place in the oven for about 30 minutes till browned, turning occasionally for even browning. When the potatoes have finished browning, set them aside and lower the oven temperature to 350.

While the potatoes are baking, mix 1-1/2 pounds of ground turkey and ½ large grated onion, place in a large oiled skillet, add ¼ cup fat-free half-and-half and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire, and cook until the turkey is browned. When the turkey is done, set it aside.

Adding a little more oil to the same skillet, sauté ½ red pepper, chopped; ½ green pepper, chopped; 4 ounces of sliced mushrooms; and ½ cup diced celery. Add ½ cup dried cranberries, a pinch of cayenne, ½ Tbsp salt, ½ Tbsp pepper, ½ tablespoon paprika, ½ teaspoon dried sage, and the cooked turkey and cook until warmed through, about 4 – 5 minutes.

Add ¾ cup low-fat chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of chopped, fresh parsley, and simmer for a few minutes.

Place the turkey mixture into the pie crust and top with the browned potatoes. Cover the edges of the crust with foil and bake at 350 degrees until heated through, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

As always, for a cookbook-style, notebook-ready copy of this or any other recipe on the site, just drop me a line and I’ll get it right off to you.

See you next week! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)