Chicken Potpie with Green Apples and Cheddar Biscuits

Fall is my favorite season. I love everything about it, from the tights and boots to the farmers' markets to the fabulous comfort food. This fall, my favorite comfort food has been coming from Pam Anderson's new cookbook, Perfect One Dish Dinners.

Recently, I tried Pam's chicken potpie with green apples and cheddar biscuits. This was an enormous hit. John had 3 servings and my friend Stacey described it as a "hug in a bowl." Who doesn't want a hug in a bowl? Recipe after the jump:

CHICKEN FILLING

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 12 oz can evaporated milk

- 6 tablespoons butter, divided

- 2 large leeks, dark green leaves removed, washed thoroughly, light green and white parts chopped

- 2 large granny smith apples, quartered, cored, thinly sliced crosswise

- 1 large rotisserie chicken, shredded (5-6 cups)

- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon AP flour

- 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage

1/4 cup cream sherry*

- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

- salt and pepper

BISCUIT TOPPING

- 2 cups bleached, AP flour

- 2 teaspoons baking powder

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 3/4 teaspoon salt

- 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese**

- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen solid

- 1 cup cold buttermilk, plus a few more teaspoons if necessary

*I wasn't inclined to buy a specialty liquor for one recipe, so I used white wine instead.

**We love cheese, so we increased the amount to about 1 cup for really cheddary biscuits.

CHICKEN FILLING

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Microwave chicken broth and evaporated milk in a microwave-safe bowl until steamy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and apples and cook, stirring, until just tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer leeks and apples, along with chicken, to a large bowl. Set aside.

Heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat in the empty skillet. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour and sage and cook until golden, about 1 minute.

Whisk in hot milk mixture and simmer, stirring, until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Turn off heat, stir in sherry and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir sauce, along with parsley into chicken mixture. Taste and adjust seasonings. Pour mixture into a 13x9 inch baking dish or divide between 2 smaller baking dishes.

BISCUIT TOPPING

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cheddar with a fork in a medium bowl. Using a box grated, coarsely grate frozen butter into dry ingredients. Mix quickly with fingertips to evenly blend.

Mix buttermilk into dry ingredients with a fork until dough just comes together. Pinch dough with fingers into small, rough rounds and place over filling. Bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve.

Trust me (and trust Pam) on this one. Your honey will love you more and your friends will ooh and ahh. This is a terrific fall dish.