Tourtière

This is for a gourmet tourtière, and I don't know many people who go through the trouble of such a complex recipe. I just made tourtières yesterday but the much more common way. i.e. half ground beef and half lean ground pork, cubed potatoes (sweet or regular), onion, a little water, the same spices plus some herbs such as marjoram, thyme and sage. It takes no time at all to prepare and cook the meat mixture prior to making the tourtières and this is more authentic of the cuisine quebecoise.

As a member of a large French Canadian and Metis family, I must object. Tourtiere, as several other commenters point out, is a very simple affair. Two pounds of ground pork (or a mixture of pork and beef), one mashed potato, one diced onion, all seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of each of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon, is all that is required to fill two pie crusts (do it galette style for an even more rustic presentation). The rest is just busywork, yielding questionable results.

I have been making my French Cannadian grandmother's recipe for over fifty years and it is simple. Sautéed onions, garlic, ground pork, salt, pepper, mace, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne. I give it a generous splash of cognac and add the mashed potatoes. Put it in a pie shell and top it with a decorated top crust.

The spices are spot on! The rest... um, in Maine and Northern New Hampshire, where our church's still offer Mass in French, and after wards often sell Tourtiere to support the Altar society and other groups; no one would grate the taters ( always mashed ) and simple well seasoned meat loaf (chicken thighs? really?)encased in a good butter or lard (or combo) crust. But everyone's Memere has a different take...

Every woman in our family has her own recipe for Tourtiere. Thanks for giving some ink to this worthy, traditional dish! And, as noted by the other French-Canadians writing notes here, it can be a whole lot easier than this recipe. One family recipe calls for equal amounts of ground beef, pork and veal, cooked in a pot with onion and garlic. Mashed potatoes added later, and then...the spices. Most important: the ground cloves. This dish does not work without ground cloves. Enjoy!

I've made a very similar recipe to yours my entire life, passed down from the French-Canadian side of my family, and I like them, But I disagree with this recipe being just "busywork, yielding questionable results." It's better than the ones I grew up with, no question. The spices are more pronounced without being overwhelming, the texture is better, it's all around a better recipe.

Every year between Christmas and New Year's, my parents make my French Canadian grandmother's version, which we just call "pork pie." My father starts with twenty-five pounds of ground pork, nothing else added but salt and pepper, and my mother makes the crusts. The (twenty or so) pies are served on New Year's day, with an extra freezer-wrapped pie for everyone to take home. Putting that frozen pie into the oven on a dark winter's evening is a blissful moment.

After consulting MANY recipes, both the NYT and others, I now make a delicious tourtiere using my favorite meatloaf recipe: the meat is a pork-beef-veal mixture, to which I have added the traditional spices (allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon), some rosemary, some prunes; all baked in my favorite pie crust. Delicious, many compliments, and much easier than the NYT recipe, which is unnecessarily complicated.

I'm sure this is wonderfully delicious, but for my money, the tourtière from Costco is stupendous (a huge one that lasts the two of us not very big eaters something like 8 meals is only $14.99 CANADIAN!!!). It is delicious, great crust, yummy three-meat filling. How can you go wrong? And all you need to do is bring it home from Costco and bake it. Sorry, Sam Sifton and all the French-Canadian/Québécois purists out there, but I'll just be lazy and go Plaisirs Gastronomiques Costco!!

After Midnight Mass Christmas Eve, we always had tourtiere, made simply with ground pork/beef combined, potatoes, and a homemade crust. The zing is using allspice--really is good. Served with homemade cranberry sauce, followed by Grandma's fruitcake--laced in bourbon for three months before serving! And then to bed to wait for Santa's arrival!

I made my very first tourtiere recently using this recipe and amending it to make it simpler via some of the remarks in this column. Using half ground beef and ground pork, some turkey chunks, grated potatoes, carrots, dark beer and the spices and herbs. It was outstanding! We loved it and will make it again. Maybe at Christmas.

unfortunately, not all Costco's carry things that are regional from one area to another. :( Makes me sad as this is one of my favorite dishes, and it would be oh so much easier to buy it from Costco.

This was hugely labor-intensive and, frankly, not worth the effort. Although we did truly enjoy the spice combo. There are easier ways to do this, many of which are described in these comments. That being said, however you cook it, be sure to make the Cranberry Ketchup!

Happy to see a Canadian tradition highlighted in the NYT - I have seen the quote "there as many tourtiere recipes as there are kitchens in Quebec". This is a luscious version, which includes a call back to the passenger pigeon originally used in this pie (with poultry in the Gaspe coast version of the dish). Making the simpler version for my children, whose French-Canadian heritage needs to be recalled here in the US! Will try this one in the future. Joyeux Noel!

Tourtiere was a staple in our house growing up in Montreal. My father would make it for the family to add to our celebrations after midnight mass. His recipe was from a well known Quebec cook, Madame Jeanne Benoit. It was nothing like this recipe which looks pretty good. Traditions change as do ingredients. That’s a good thing . I will order my tourtierre from Les Fougeres in Gatineau Quebec as I am blessed to live in Ottawa across the river ! Joyeux Noel a tous !