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Tourtiere filling cooking in an enameled cast iron dutch oven.

Tourtiere Filling Recipe

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Meat
Cuisine Canadian

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 2 pounds lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 2 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp ground thyme
  • 2 tsp ground sage
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Boil cubed potato is salted, boiling water until tender
  • Once tender, drain potatoes reserving ¾ cup of water
  • Mash potatoes and set aside
  • Melt the butter in a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat
  • Add onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until translucent and starting to brown
  • Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute
  • Add ground beef and cook until starts to brown, stirring often
  • Add salt, pepper, spices, and herbs to the ground beef
  • Pour in reserved potato water, stirring to combine.
  • Continue cooking over medium heat for 30 minutes or until liquid has evaporated, breaking down meat so there are no large clumps
  • Stir in potatoes, mixing well. Mixture will be thick
  • Meat can now be placed in a pie shell with top crust and baked until crust is golden. Or use this filling in tarts. Or store for later.

Notes

This filling can be used a in few different ways.
The traditional way to use tourtiere filling is in pie crusts that are baked until golden. Then served with cranberry sauce or ketchup. Growing up, my relatives ate it with homemade mustard pickles.
Tourtiere filling can also be baked into tarts for smaller versions of tourtieres. Tarts don't have a top crust like traditional tourtiere and they are bite-sized, making them perfect for buffets.
Our favourite way to use this filling is in pinwheels. We use puff pastry to make Tourtiere Pinwheels that we serve with Cranberry Mustard Sauce.
Another way to use this recipe is as a base for Shepherd's Pie.
Place the cooled filling in a freezer bag or air-tight container and freeze it for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
It can also last in the fridge for up to three days before using it.
Keyword tourtiere