Potpies

Even the world's best crust can be ruined by a watery or gluey filling. Chef Matt Bolus at 404 Kitchen in Nashville says to cook your filling just shy of that slightly loose gravy consistency. "The filling will continue to thicken in the oven, so pull it at that point when you think, Just a few more minutes and this will be perfect!"

Chef Matthew Accarrino’s unconventional potpie is filled with coconut-spiked curried lamb.

The luxurious, savory potpie filling can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated.

This potless potpie with a Spanish accent doesn't rely on the usual deep dish for serving. The luxurious chicken and vegetable stew simply gets spooned into bowls and garnished with flaky puff pastry rounds.

This hearty dish is based on ribollita, the thick Tuscan soup made with leftover minestrone and chunks of bread. Here, a buttery, cheesy pastry lattice is baked on top of the soup. Instead of weaving the strips of dough to make the lattice, you can arrange them in a crisscross pattern; easier still, roll the dough into rounds, cut a few steam vents in the pastry and drape it over the bowls before baking.

As the weather gets colder, warm up with this hearty turkey potpie. Its rich flavors pair well with a full-bodied, fruit-forward California Chardonnay,

These wonderful individual pies are filled with a mix of sweet celery root, brussels sprouts and parsnips in a sage-infused cream sauce and topped with tender biscuits made with roasted sweet potato.

This luscious beef potpie has a buttery cheddar crust and filling mixed with parsnips, carrots and peas.

Grace Parisi proves that making potpie doesn't have to take a long time with this one-skillet version, prepared with store-bought rotisserie chicken and buttered white bread in place of the usual labor-intensive puff pastry crust.

Chef Michael White makes his fantastic individual potpies with a filling of mixed mushrooms and roast squash and topped with a tender Parker House roll crust. To make one large potpie, use a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and roll out the dough to an 11-by-15-inch rectangle. Baking time will be about the same.