A deep Québécois celebration pie of pork, veal, beef and potatoes beneath homemade pastry
Tourtière du Lac-Saint-Jean is the deep, slow-baked meat pie associated with festive tables in Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. Unlike a shallow ground-meat pie, it is generously filled with small pieces of meat and potato that cook together with stock beneath a sturdy pastry lid. It is an ideal make-ahead centerpiece because it portions neatly and freezes well.
- Prep
- 1 hour
- Cook
- 5 hours
- Rest
- 30 mins.
- Chill
- 1 hour.
- Total
- 7 hours 30 mins
- Serves
- 10
The recipe
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Before you start
Rub the butter and lard lightly into the flour and salt, leaving some pea-size pieces. Add enough ice water to form a dough, divide into two pieces, wrap, and chill for 1 hour. Cut the meats and potatoes evenly so they finish cooking together. Mix all filling ingredients except stock and bay leaves.
Ingredients
For the pastry
For the filling
For finishing
Quantities change with servings; cooking times stay the same.
Equipment
- Deep 26–28 cm covered casserole or pie dish paid link
- Large mixing bowls paid link
- Rolling pin paid link
- Pastry brush paid link
- Chef’s knife paid link
- Cutting board paid link
- Digital kitchen scale paid link
- Instant-read thermometer paid link
Method
Heat the oven to 160°C conventional or 140°C fan. Grease a deep 26–28 cm covered casserole or springform-style pie dish.
Roll the larger pastry piece to about 5 mm thick and line the base and high sides, leaving an overhang.
Fill the case with the seasoned raw meat-and-potato mixture, placing the bay leaves midway through.
Roll the remaining pastry into a lid. Cover the filling, seal firmly to the base crust, and cut a 3 cm steam chimney in the center.
Whisk the egg and milk and brush the top. Pour hot stock gradually through the chimney until the liquid sits just below the filling’s surface.
Cover the top loosely with foil or the casserole lid and bake for 4 hours. Check every 90 minutes and add a little more hot stock through the chimney if the filling looks dry.
Remove the cover and bake for 1 further hour until the crust is deeply golden and a skewer passes easily through the potatoes.
Rest for 30 minutes before cutting. Remove the bay leaves when portioning.
Chef’s notes
Keep the meat and potato cubes close to the same size. Large pieces can remain firm while small ones dissolve.
The deep pastry must be thick enough to contain the stock through a long bake.
Add stock gradually. The filling should be moist but not floating above the pastry rim.
Tips and variations
Assemble the pie the night before, cover and refrigerate, then add 15–20 minutes to the covered baking time.
Venison or other local game can replace part of the beef where appropriate.
For clean meal-prep portions, cool the baked pie for 1 hour before slicing and refrigerate before packing.
If leaf lard is unavailable, replace it with additional cold butter, though the crust will be less traditional.
Serve with
Cut generous wedges at the table and spoon any concentrated juices from the dish around each portion.
Storage
Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days. Freeze fully cooled individual wedges for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat covered at 170°C until the center reaches 74°C, uncovering briefly to re-crisp the pastry.
Nutrition per serving (estimated)
- 860 kcal
- Calories
- 48 g
- Protein
- 60 g
- Carbohydrates
- 48 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 980 mg
- Sodium
Allergens
Contains wheat, gluten, milk and egg. Check prepared stock for celery, soy or other allergens; homemade unsalted stock gives the clearest control.
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Questions
How is this different from ordinary tourtière?
The Lac-Saint-Jean style is deeper, contains potatoes and substantial pieces of meat, and bakes slowly with stock for several hours.
Can ground meat be used?
Some family versions use it, but small cubes retain the distinctive hearty texture of this regional style.
Can the pie be frozen before baking?
Yes. Wrap it securely for up to 2 months, bake from frozen at 160°C, and allow approximately 45–60 minutes of extra time.
Why is the bottom pastry soft?
This is a stock-rich deep pie, so the base is tender rather than brittle. Resting before cutting prevents it from collapsing.
