How to Make Oyster Pot Pie

Creamy, slightly spicy, and so much taster than boring old chicken--it's oyster pot pie! It's a comfort food, it's a holiday treat, it's something you can make for company or horde for yourself alone. Serve it for dinner with a small side salad and a glass of white wine or a cold beer.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 1 quart stew oysters (reserve the liquor)
• 3 tbsp. butter (divided)
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 carrot
• 4 medium red potatoes
• 1 recipe (3 cups) white sauce (see below)
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Dash Tabasco sauce
• 1 unbaked pie crust (for top crust only)
• Deep dish pie plate
• 6 tbsp. (3/4 stick) butter
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour
• 3 cups milk

How to Make the Pie

1. Simmer the the oysters in 1 tbsp. of butter until the ends of oysters just start to curl up. Stir in the sherry, then set aside.
2. Peel the carrot, then chop the carrot and celery into 1-inch slices. Saute the carrot and celery in 1 tbsp. butter until soft.
3. Scrub, but do not peel, potatoes. Dice into small cubes, then blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes.
4. Mix the vegetables and oysters, then stir in 3/4 cup of the reserved oyster liquor. Add the white sauce, then pour into the pie dish.
5. Cover the oyster mixture with the pie crust. Glaze the crust with the remaining tbsp. melted butter.
6. Bake the pie at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for 1 hour.

How to Make the White Sauce

7. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, mixing until it forms a smooth paste.
8. Gradually whisk the milk into the butter mixture. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. You want a fairly thick sauce for this recipe.

Tips & Warnings

• If the sauce doesn't thicken enough, put another tablespoon or so of flour into a cup and stir some of the hot sauce into the flour--then add this mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the sauce. (Do not add flour directly or it will be lumpy.)