Chicken Pie with Parmesan Mashed-Potato Crust

prep: 20 minutes
cook: 25 minutes

you’ll need…
2 tablespoon of your favorite dry seasoning (Cajun, Old Bay, Italian)
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons oil
½ cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
½ cup chicken broth or stock
1 cup mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen)
2 cups mashed potatoes (leftover or frozen)
½ cup Parmesan cheese

let’s get to it…
Place oven rack in middle of the oven. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray. Heat oven to 375°F.
Sprinkle dry seasoning over cut-up chicken breasts.
Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken to the skillet (you may have to do this in batches). Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes; remove from pan, set aside and keep warm.
Reduce skillet heat to medium. Melt butter in skillet; add flour and stir until slightly thickened. Stir in chicken broth or stock until sauce is thick (make sure you scrape up all the good stuff on the bottom of the pan). Return chicken to skillet. Add mixed vegetables to skillet and stir to blend.
Spoon chicken mixture into 9-inch pie plate and spread evenly.
Spoon potatoes on top of the chicken mixture, spreading evenly. Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 10 minutes. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until potatoes are lightly brown.

cooking know-how: Cooked chicken can be substituted. Cut or shred into bite-size pieces and season as directed. Proceed as directed except reduce saute time to 2 minutes.

Puff Pastry Straws

prep: 30 minutes

cook: 12 to 14 minutes

makes: 24 straws

you’ll need…

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

½ package (7 to 8 oz.) puff pastry dough

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

½ teaspoon anise seeds

½ teaspoon chili powder

let’s get to it…

Preheat oven to 425°F with the rack in the center. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

Dust a large work surface with flour; unfold the dough on the flour and roll out until it is a 12-by-16-inch rectangle, about ⅛-inch thick.

Brush the bottom half of the rectangle with the beaten egg (you won’t use all of it).

Sprinkle half of the Parmesan cheese on the top of the rectangle (the part that DOESN’T have the egg). Fold the bottom half (with the egg) over the top half. Gently roll dough again to seal in the cheese.

Cut the dough into 3 strips lengthwise. Cut the 3 strips in half.

Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on 2 of the strips, the anise seeds on 2 strips and the chili powder on the remaining 2 strips.

Cut each of the strips into 4 strips so you have 24 strips in total.

Hold each end of one strip of dough with your fingers and twist in opposite directions to form a spiral. (You may also want to lay the piece of dough on your work surface and twist the ends of each strip in opposite directions using the flat side of your hand).

Place each spiral on the baking tray about 1-inch apart and press ends down so spirals don’t unravel. Repeat with remaining dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Bake 1 sheet at a time for 7 minutes; rotate tray in oven and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.