Irish Beef-Cheddar Hand Pies

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I wanted to share something a bit special for St. Patrick’s Day, and settled on this hand pie; a twist on the traditional meat and potatoes Irish stew. that was inspired by a Martha Stewart recipe.  Filled with a rich and creamy potato and coleslaw mix, topped with sharp or Irish cheddar cheese, this is a tasty entrée that can be used for lunch or dinner!

I would recommend making your own piecrust or pastry for this as it needs to be rolled into a rectangle.  If you make your own, you should roll it out so it is a  little thicker than store-bought crusts.

Diff:  Intermediate   Time:  1 hr.   Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 -2 T grapeseed or mildly flavored vegetable oil

8 oz. bag of coleslaw

1# of red potatoes, 1/2# scrubbed and diced fine and 1/2# peeled and sliced

1 pound ground beef, sirloin

4 T tomato paste

½-1 t. Worcestershire sauce

½ to 1 t dried thyme

1 T. dried parsley

1 T. tarragon

½ cup sharp shredded Cheddar or Irish cheddar cheese

Coarse salt and pepper

All purpose flour, to roll out pastry

2 piecrusts, 9 inches each, homemade* or store bought

*Homemade recommended

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 F°. 

  • In medium saucepan filled with water, cook 1/2# potatoes for 15-20 minutes or until tender, drain, mash and set aside.  (Okay, I admit this looks like more than 1/2# potatoes below, but I needed mashed potatoes for another recipe so I consolidated!)

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  • While cooking above, in a large frying pan, add cabbage and the other 1/2# potatoes.  Cook until brown, about 9-12 minutes.  Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.  Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, parsley and tarragon, and 1 cup of water. Cover and cook until potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.  Lightly mash mixture with a fork.  Add 1/2# mashed potatoes and mix together well.  Let mixture cool completely.

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  • On a lightly floured surface, roll each crust out into a 14 inch square; cut into four equal squares.  (As you can see, my pieces were not exactly square, but I did my best with a round store bought crust!) Place 1/3-1/2 cup filling on each square, leaving a ½ inch border around filling.  Sprinkle 1 T of shredded cheddar on top of filling.  Brush borders with water; fold dough over to cover filling, then crimp with a fork to seal. Poke top of each pie with a fork three times to vent.

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  • Transfer pies to 2 foil or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake each sheet separately for 10-12 minutes or golden brown.  You can put sheets under the broiler at 550 F° for 1-2 minutes to brown further but watch very closely so pies do not burn!

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Enjoy these pies just as they are, or top with additional cheese or gravy.  Serve with a salad or hot cooked vegetables for a complete meal.  Enjoy!

Until next week, wishing you all of God’s blessings, the luck of the Irish, good health and happy eating!

Smiles, Maria

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

2 responses to “Irish Beef-Cheddar Hand Pies

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