Smoked turkey makes for the most incredible pot pie! Such great flavour in this low carb, grain-free dish. What a way to use up your holiday leftovers! This post is sponsored by the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch.
What is your traditional holiday dinner menu? Growing up in Canada, we often had roast turkey for Christmas dinner. Or roast goose, but more often turkey because my father loves it. The man really loves his turkey. And in Canada, Thanksgiving is far enough away from Christmas that you don’t get turkey overload if you eat it for both holidays. Which we did because my father loves it. The man really loves his turkey, what can I say? I am pretty sure that even if Thanksgiving and Christmas were only days apart, my father would happily tuck into his traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings.
This year, turkey may indeed be on our holiday dinner menu. Smoked turkey, to be exact. And one I didn’t actually have to smoke myself. I do own a smoker, as it happens, and I’ve tried my hand at smoking turkey. It’s fun but it’s also a fair amount of work, checking on its progress and making sure the wood chips are filled up enough. With the craziness that accompanies the holidays with three kids, I’d really rather not add that to my to-do list. So this year, it’s all about a gorgeous smoked turkey from Diestel Family Turkey Ranch.
The name may sound familiar to you. It did to me when they reached out to see if we could partner this holiday season but I couldn’t remember where I’d seen it. Then, as I was grabbing some turkey sausage at Whole Foods, I realized that was exactly where I’d seen it. I’d even purchased their sausage products a number of times, without realizing that they also sold whole turkeys. Cooked and uncooked, smoked or oven-roasted, Diestel has the perfect turkey for the holidays. And all of the turkeys are high quality, sustainably and responsibly raised.
The Diestel Turkey Ranch is a family run business in California, and the Diestel family cares greatly about the turkeys they raise and the land that they farm. In fact, they were the first turkey ranch to ever receive a GAP5+ (Global Animal Partnership) rating for animal welfare for their Pasture-Raised Turkeys. Whereas conventional turkey farmers try to fatten their birds quickly, Diestel turkeys are given plenty of fresh air and space to roam, and they are raised almost twice as long as conventional birds. Diestel farmers walk the turkeys every day, paying close attention to their health and thereby eliminating the need for antibiotics.
They also take the health of the land very seriously, going so far as to create their own special compost that improves the soil, and reduces landfill waste and water consumption. The Organic Diestel Structured Compost is now sold to other organic farmers and community members.
Diestel turkeys are healthy, non-GMO, antibiotic-free and carefully, lovingly raised. Now doesn’t that sound like the perfect turkey for your holiday table? Diestel now has a whole online store where you can order your turkey and have it shipped. They also make great gifts for far-flung friends and family. The website features a “Ship to” and “gift choice” option, making it convenient to order your own turkey and a gift turkey all at once.
Check out the Diestel Online Store.
And they are giving my readers $25 off any order through December 19th (one per customer). Use DREAM25OFF and grab a holiday turkey you know you can feel good about.
Of course, you can also find Diestel turkeys at many local natural food stores. Both my local Whole Foods and New Seasons have a great array of Diestel turkeys for the holidays. And when the holiday season has passed, other Diestel products such as deli meats and sausage are available year round. I happen to have a pound of Diestel chorizo in my freezer right now. And be sure to follow the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch on Facebook and Twitter!
Now the real question is…what to do with all the leftovers from that gorgeous smoked Diestel turkey? Because it’s going to make fabulous leftovers, you know that. I have one idea for you and it’s a good one…
Smoked Turkey Pot Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe magic low carb mozzarella dough
- Almond flour for rolling out the dough
- 1/4 cup butter
- 4 stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 2 lbs leftover cooked turkey (I used Diestel Smoked Turkey), chopped
- Additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Follow the instructions for the dough from the Garlic Knots. Sprinkle a large sheet of parchment or a silicone liner with almond flour. Pat the dough into a rough rectangle and top with another piece of parchment. Roll out to about 14 by 12 inches.
- Leave covered with parchment while preparing the filling.
- In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, and salt and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute more.
- Stir in the broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
- Whisk the whipping cream and egg yolks together. Slowly add to the pot, whisking continuously. Cook another few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly (but don't let the egg yolks curdle!).
- Remove the bay leaves and add the chopped turkey, tossing to coat. Add any additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the filling into a glass or ceramic 9x13 inch casserole dish. Transfer the mozzarella dough to cover the dish (if it's not coming up easily from the work surface, use an offset spatula to loosen as you gently lift it). Trim the dough to leave just a little overhang and then fold the edges under and crimp decoratively with your fingers. If you have leftover dough, you can roll it out and cut some fun shapes to decorate the pot pie.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Remove and let cool 10 minutes prior to serving.
Notes
Total fat: 33.62g
Calories from fat: 302
Cholesterol: 212mg
Carbohydrate: 6.56g
Total dietary fiber: 2.27g
Protein: 37.89g
Nutrition
Many thanks to The Diestel Family Turkey Ranch for partnering with me to bring you this recipe. I received compensation by the Diestel Family Turkey Ranch in exchange for my honest opinion/recipe development.
