Turkey and apple cheddar-biscuit pie

This meal is full-on autumn comfort food at its best! Turkey, apples, and vegetables in a cider gravy all topped with light and buttery cheddar biscuits and baked until golden and bubbly. 

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It has easily become a new favorite of ours. This recipe is a modified version of a similar dish in one of my favorites books: Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, & Little-known Wonders. It's not a cookbook, but a beautiful book all about apples that also has 20 apple recipes in the back. I sometimes dream of living on an apple orchard one day and have a bit of an obsession with all the different varieties and with apple recipes. 

This dish is delicious as is, but I think different vegetables would also work very well such as replacing the celery with celery root, replacing the potato with turnip or rutabaga, or even adding a bit of cubed winter squash like butternut. This recipe will serve about four to five people.

Turkey and apple cheddar-biscuit pie
for the filling:
olive oil
1 lb ground turkey (we prefer dark meat for ground)
1 medium onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced 
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups apple cider
1-1/4 cups chicken stock/broth
1 large apple, cored and diced (I like a firm, tart apple)
fresh parsley, for garnish, optional

for the topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup milk

In a 9- or 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey and brown, stirring often. When cooked through, move the turkey to the edges of the pan and stir in the onion, carrot, celery, and potato. Add more oil, if needed. Cook until the onion is translucent. Stir everything together and then stir in the sage, poultry season, a bit of salt and pepper, and the garlic. Cook for one minute and then stir in the flour and cook for another minute.

Add the cider and broth and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer. Let cook until the vegetables are just about fork tender and the gravy thickens.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make the topping. 

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the cheese and then the milk until just combined. Set aside.

When the gravy has thickened, stir in the apple. Turn off the heat.

Drop the biscuit dough by the tablespoons full across the top of the skillet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with parsley, if desired.