Shrimp & Seasoned Sausage Pot Pie

Shrimp & Seasoned Sausage Pot Pie
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Hands on time: 15-20 minutes
Stove top cooking time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 15 minutes for pastry tops, 5-7 minutes just before serving
Serves 4

Ingredients:
½ package frozen puff pastry, thawed (obviously you could make your own if you want)
½ cup heavy whipping cream – please don’t stint and try with milk or light cream
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tbsp butter
3 large leeks, white & pale green parts only, cut in half length-wise, rinsed well, patted dry & thinly sliced
½ lb cooked sausages cut into ½” cubes (I used local Lunenburg lamb sausages, grilled first; Bon Appetit recommends smoked Andouille for a Cajun flavor)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine (BA recommends dry vermouth)
2 cups fish broth or bottled clam juice
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
1 large red skinned potato, peeled and cut into cubes no more than ½” (otherwise they will take too long to cook and too much of the broth will evaporate)
1.5 lb/ 680g jumbo shrimp, deveined, peeled and cut 1” chunks (2-3 per shrimp)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C

2. Pastry tops can even be prepared a day in advance. Roll out the thawed pastry to a 12” square and cut into 5½” rounds (actually they should just fit on the top of whatever individual baking dishes you are going to serve the pot pies in). Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden – about 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet or a rack. Note: if you are making these ahead, wrap airtight and store at room temperature.

Preparing the filling: (about 30-40 minutes)
3. Whisk the flour and heavy cream in a small bowl and set aside.

4. In a large skillet set over medium heat, melt the butter and add the leeks. Sauté until tender (about 10 minutes). Add the cooked sausages and garlic and sauté for another 4 minutes or so. Add the wine or vermouth and simmer until the liquid evaporates (3-4 minutes). Add the fish broth and thyme. Bring to a simmer, add the potato pieces and cook until tender (5-10 minutes). Add cream mixture to the skillet and stir until well blended and the sauce thickens (about 3 minutes). Reduce the heat to low and add shrimp. Simmer until the shrimp are opaque and just beginning to turn pink (about 3 minutes). Season with salt and pepper and divide into individual baking dishes. (BA suggests 1¼ cups each).

Final Baking before serving:
5. Use a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil (easy clean up if there are spills). Place the filled baking dishes on the sheet and top each with a round of prepared pastry. Bake until the filling bubbles (about 5-7 minutes)