Maple-Glazed Root Vegetable Tourtière

Taste

This tourtière leans into the Québécois tradition of warming, spiced meat pies but trades most of the meat for a dense, caramelised filling of maple-roasted root vegetables. Parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, celeriac, and turnips — all sourced from Lufa’s local farms — are diced small, tossed in amber maple syrup, and roasted until deeply golden. They get folded with sautéed onion, garlic, and the classic tourtière spice trinity of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, then bound with a bit of mashed yellow potato to hold the filling together. The double crust is a proper all-butter pastry made with organic butter from Fromagerie L’Ancêtre, tender enough to shatter at the edge but sturdy enough to hold its shape. If you want pork in the mix, see the tip below.

Instructions

1. Make the pastry dough. Whisk the flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Drizzle in the vinegar and ice water, tossing with a fork until the dough just comes together — add more water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Do not overwork it. Divide the dough into two discs (one slightly larger for the bottom crust), wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Roast the root vegetables. Preheat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F). Toss the parsnips, sweet potatoes, carrots, celeriac, and turnip with the maple syrup, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt on a large rimmed baking sheet. Spread in a single layer and roast, stirring once at the halfway point, until the edges are caramelised and the vegetables are tender but not mushy, 25–30 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 200 °C (400 °F). ⏱︎ 30 min

3. Cook the potatoes. While the roots roast, place the diced yellow potatoes in a small saucepan, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until completely tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well and mash roughly with a fork — you want a thick, starchy paste, not a smooth purée. Set aside. ⏱︎ 10 min

4. Build the filling. Melt the 30 g butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the thyme, sage, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice, and cook 1 minute until the spices bloom. Add the roasted vegetables and mashed potato, folding gently to combine. Season generously with salt and pepper. The filling should be moist but not wet — if it looks loose, cook another minute to evaporate excess moisture. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. ⏱︎ 5 min

5. Roll out the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger disc into a 33 cm (13 inch) circle, about 3 mm thick. Drape it into a 23 cm (9 inch) pie plate, pressing gently into the corners. Let the excess hang over the edge. Roll the smaller disc into a 28 cm (11 inch) circle for the top crust.

6. Assemble the tourtière. Spoon the cooled filling into the lined pie plate, mounding it slightly in the centre. Lay the top crust over the filling. Trim the overhang to about 2 cm, fold the excess under itself, and crimp the edge with a fork or flute it with your fingers. Cut three or four steam vents in the top with a sharp knife. Brush the entire surface with the egg wash.

7. Bake the pie. Place the tourtière on a baking sheet (to catch drips) and bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 °C (350 °F) and continue baking until the crust is deep golden brown and you can see steam rising from the vents, another 25–30 minutes. If the edges brown too quickly, tent them loosely with foil. Let the pie rest on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before slicing — the filling needs time to set. ⏱︎ 20 min

Tips

• Add pork: For a traditional meat tourtière, brown 350 g lean ground pork (available fresh from Boucherie Nordest or Le Rang 4 on Lufa) in the skillet before the onion. Break it into fine crumbles, drain excess fat, then continue with step 4. Use 150 g less root vegetables to keep the filling from overfilling the crust.
• Make ahead: The assembled, unbaked tourtière freezes well. Wrap tightly in plastic and foil, freeze for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 190 °C (375 °F) for about 60–70 minutes, tenting with foil if the top browns too fast.
• Pastry shortcut: If you’re short on time, a store-bought pie crust works fine. You’ll need two 23 cm (9 inch) rounds.
• Serving suggestion: Tourtière is traditionally served with a homemade ketchup or chutney. A spoonful of cranberry sauce or a sharp green salad both cut through the richness nicely.
• Vegetable swaps: No celeriac? Use extra parsnips. No turnip? Use rutabaga or more carrot. The maple glaze and spice blend tie any combination of winter roots together.