Irish Beef Hand Pies

 I have had this recipe from Martha Stewart Every Day Foods for some time and made them for a Sunday supper recently. They are quite good, though we felt they were a little bland tasting. The next time, I will add more spice to the mix. The thyme was good and I had some I had dried from my plant but I think some oregano and some minced onion and or garlic would have helped. 

  I did use some store bought pie crust (sorry Sis) to see how thin they were rolling it. It was quite thin which surprised me as I thought they might fall apart that thin. The next time I will use my own pie crust though the Pillsbury crust wasn’t bad. This is a recipe you could do some of your own thing with the filling and I am sure there are some very good recipes out there, we liked the combo of potatoes and cabbage with this and with ground beef they were quite easy to make.

Irish Beef Hand Pies

PREP: 15 MINS   TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
• 1/2 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
• 1 pound ground beef 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• All-purpose flour, for rolling
• 2 pie crusts (9 inches each), homemade or store-bought

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium; add cabbage and potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, and 1 cup water. Cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll each crust into a 14-inch square; cut each into 4 equal squares. Place 1/2 cup filling on one half of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the filling. Brush borders with water; fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. With a paring knife or scissors, cut 3 small vents in each. Transfer pies to 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.