Red “Pot”ato Pie

Hey kosherstreet fans,

Here is a great recipe for a Pesach appetizer. Borscht is a great ingredient to add flavor, color and texture to make your meal really pop. I use the Borscht that comes in the bottle that you can get at any local grocery store.

For Stew:

1 ½ lb. bone in skin on chicken thighs

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. potato starch

1 cup water

½ cup dry red wine

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 ½ cups small diced celery

1 cup small diced carrots

1 cup fresh pearl onions, peeled or frozen, thawed

2 tsp. garlic

2 Tbsp. Pesach mustard

2 Tbsp. margarine

For Potatoes:

3 lb. russet potatoes, boiled until soft

Kosher salt

2/3 cup borscht

6 Tbsp. margarine, at room temperature

Black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Making the Stew:

Season chicken with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, flipping once until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to a plate. Reduce heat and add potato starch to the frying pan. Cook, whisking for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the water and wine, and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently, turning once until chicken is tender. Transfer chicken to a clean plate and let cool.

Meanwhile, stir the mushrooms, celery, carrots, onions and garlic into the sauce. Cover and simmer until tender, 5 minutes. Stir in the mustard and margarine, and keep warm.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones, shred into bite size pieces, and add to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm.

Making the Potatoes:

Heat the borscht and set aside, but keep warm.

In an electric mixer, beat the potatoes until they’re broken up. Add ½ cup of the borscht and margarine and beat on high until fluffy. Potatoes should be stiff but add remaining borscht if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

To Assemble: Spoon the whipped potatoes into a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch plain tip. Pipe potatoes to form “bowls” on each plate. Spoon the chicken stew into the bowl and garnish with fried onions.