Corn bread topping a twist on chicken potpie

Potpies are just plain appealing, but the crust and filling are loaded with fat and calories.

Here, cornbread takes the place of a standard pie crust. It brings fiber, flavor and a savory-sweet homeyness to the dish. I like to start with the recipe on the back of Indian Head brand cornmeal, but feel free to improvise.

I use cornstarch, not the usual butter-and-flour roux, to thicken the filling. The only tricky part is that there’s no perfect ratio of cornstarch to broth.

You might need to add extra cornstarch dissolved in wine, broth or cold water.