Tags
biscuits, collard greens, ham, pot pie, southern, vegetables
We made a rash of chicken pot pies at the Restaurant for the St. Patty’s Day weekend (as well as the requisite corned beef) and that left me with an awful hankering for a pot pie. Alas, I had no chicken, but what I did have was leftover ham. So I got to thinking: ham is southern, and so are collard greens and I have both in my freezer, but what’s better and more southern than a pie crust topping? BISCUITS!
This dish was one that I got right on the first try. It was so good. A lot of my recipes that end up on the blog go through a beta-testing phase, but this one didn’t need it, it was a thing of beauty since the day it was born. Warm, filling, creamy and colorful. I hope you like this one as much as I did.
This recipe would be lovely with any number of substitutions. The biscuits don’t have to be home made, the kind that come from a can or Bisquick/prepared mix drop biscuits would do just fine. [Bisquick was totally the gateway drug that got me into cooking, one of the earliest food memories I have is of having their pancake recipe memorized for making ‘special breakfast’ with my Daddy on weekend mornings.] Also, if you’re of the vegetarian persuasion, black eye peas would be a great swap for the ham. For a richer pot pie, you can use all milk or half and half, or for a lighter pot pie sauce you can use half stock. You can make a big casserole dish for a family style meal or your could also make adorable little pot pies for a single serving portion.
So cute!
Biscuit Topped Ham Pot Pies
Serves 4-6 – cost approx $1.07 per serving
Ingredients
- 2-3 Tbs bacon grease or vegetable oil
- 1/2 onion, small dice ($.14)
- 1/2 green bell pepper, medium dice ($.25)
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 ribs celery, medium dice ($.10)
- 2 carrots, peeled, medium dice ($.20)
- 1/4 cup A.P. flour
- 3 cups milk or half and half ($.54)
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2-3 potatoes, peeled, small dice ($.26)
- 2 cups collard greens, sliced ($0 frozen up in the fall from my neighbor’s garden!)
- 2 cups ham, medium dice ($2.25)
- 1 cup frozen corn ($.31)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 tsp dry thyme
- pinch nutmeg
- 2 Tbs parsley, minced ($.11)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 3 Tbs Parmesan cheese, optional
- 1 batch biscuits, home made, cardboard can, or prepared mix, it’s up to you! ($.96) If you want to make your own, you can find my biscuit recipe here: https://fullbellyfullwallet.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/biscuits-and-gravy-the-usual/
Now to the nitty-gritty! Start with making the biscuits, if you’re doing it from scratch; if not, proceed to the pot pie filling.
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Begin by heating the bacon grease or vegetable oil an a large oven-safe pot. (If you’re going to serve it family-style, use whatever pot you like if you’re making individual pot pies.) Saute the onion, green bell pepper, garlic, celery and carrots 5-8 minutes. Add in the flour and cook 2 minutes. Add in the dairy and stock and bring to a simmer.
Next, add in everything else but the parmesan and biscuits and simmer until the potatoes are mostly cooked, about 15 minutes or so.
Now, lay the biscuits over the top of your mixture, either over a small ramekin or the entire dutch oven, being sure to leave some free space for steam to escape, and sprinkle the top with the parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes.
Remove when the tops of the biscuits are golden brown and perfect.
Full Belly, Full Wallet 