MINI POT PIES WITH SOUR CREAM SAUCE

How cute are these little pies? I know it's not neccessary to make your pot pies mini but I like the portion control. I also like how you get just the right amount of crust. Not too much, not too little. I made veggie pot pies but you are welcome to add in some chicken since the recipe is based on chicken pot pie. Also, I was lazy and used store bought pie crust but feel free to make your own.

Ingredients:
2 pie crusts (or 1 Package)
1/2 white onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 white potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup of frozen peas
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock (I used Better than Bouillon)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons dried herbs, more if using fresh (I have used dried oregano or fresh parsley)
red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste
1 bay leaf

Sour Cream Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 450 degrees. Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet. Add the onion, carrots, celery and potato. Coat the veggies with oil and butter by stirring. Add red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and the bay leaf.

2. While the veggies are softening, this can take about 15 minutes, prepare your crust. Unroll a pie crust and use a circular cookie cutter to cut out circles. You can also use anything circular that will cut the dough. The cutter I have is a little smaller than my muffin pan needs, so I roll out the circles a little and then place them in the muffin pan. You will need 24 circles for 12 mini pot pies.

3. Once your veggies have softened, add your garlic and let cook for about 1 minute.  Add your peas. Don't worry if stuff is sticking to the bottom of the pan, that's flavor. Add the flour and stir to coat all of the veggies.

4. Add the stock a little at a time, stirring until you reach the desired consistency. I like my pot pie drier than most so you may want to add more stock if you like a really gooey pot pie. Make sure to scrape up all of the bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Take out the bay leaf.

5. Fill the cups with the pot pie filling. Before placing the top crust on the pies, cut slits in the dough for steam to escape.

6. Cook the pies for 20 minutes. Let rest a few minutes before gently loosening them with a knife around the edge.

7. Make the sour cream sauce by mixing the ingredients together. Serve a couple of pot pies with a dollop of sauce and a simple salad and you've got dinner.

**Image via The Baker Chick**