Beyond biscuits: Use as a topping for pot pie

Biscuits hold a special place in my heart. Those flaky, buttery discs of goodness never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Perhaps it's because they were a staple in my Texas grandmother's kitchen. Or maybe it's the fond memories of the many Sunday mornings in my college years spent at a local diner with a plate of biscuits and gravy, trying in vain to recover from Saturday night.

Either way, I'm a sucker for a good biscuit, in any form. Whether they are the light, airy angel biscuits, made particularly fluffy with the addition of yeast, or the traditional buttermilk biscuits, with just enough tang to make them interesting, a good biscuit is a welcome addition to any meal.

Of course, they don't always have to be served on the side. Even though a solitary warm biscuit, smothered in butter and slathered in a good jam, is without a doubt one of the finer things in life, biscuits can be at the center of the plate, too.

Take chicken and dumplings. Not the Southern version with the noodle-type dumplings. I'm talking about the version with the fluffy dumplings. Isn't that really just another form of biscuits and gravy? And, while we're on the topic, biscuits and gravy are hard to beat for breakfast, whether or not you have a hangover.

That brings me to Chicken and Butternut Squash Skillet Pot Pie With Sage Biscuit. Tender chunks of chicken, paired with slightly sweet nuggets of butternut squash, swimming in a creamy, herb-scented gravy are topped with, you guessed it, biscuits. Only these biscuits are subtly infused with fresh sage and dropped on the filling in dollops, avoiding the mess of rolling out the dough on a floured surface. And the dish is made and baked in one skillet. That makes for easy cleanup.

The result is a perfect balance of sweet and savory filling, topped with crusty on the outside, soft on the inside biscuits that would make my Southern grandma proud.

Note: Cubes of butternut squash give this biscuit-topped pot pie a nice sweetness that works well in the savory thyme and sage-scented filling. From Meredith Deeds.

For filling:

• 1/4 c. unsalted butter

• 1 large onion, chopped fine

• 1/4 c. flour

• 2 1/2 c. cubed butternut squash (1-in. cubes)

• 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

• 2 tsp. fresh sage, finely chopped

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 2 1/2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken

For biscuit topping:

• 1 1/2 c. flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped finely

• 3/4 c. milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, just until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken broth or stock and bring to a simmer.

Reduce the heat to low and cook until thick and bubbly, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the butternut squash, thyme, sage, salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the squash is just tender. Stir in the cream and the chicken and return to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Drop dough in 12 mounds on top of the filling in the skillet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and the topping is cooked through.

Nutrition information per serving:

Calories500Fat27 gSodium840 mg Carbohydrates40 gSaturated fat15 gTotal sugars4 g Protein25 gCholesterol115 mgDietary fiber3 g

Exchanges per serving: 2 starch, ½ carb, 2 ½ lean protein, 4 fat.