Irish Lamb Hand Pies
Irish Lamb Hand Pies
If you saw my Lucky Irish Shepherds Pie then you'll know these luscious hand pies would be coming out soon! The Shepherds Pie is very large so I use it to feed a crowd or plan on doing something with all the wonderful leftovers. This is my favorite plan.
I just love these flaky-crusted pies. They are so delicious and versatile too. I've made these with my Lucky Irish Shepherd's Pie but you can fill them with any variety of filling really and they freeze beautifully. Make them ahead like I do for when company comes and you will have a fast and impressive dish to share with your guests. It's comfort food at it's best!
If you have any leftover stew I highly recommend this recipe. The crust is so flaky and buttery! I used my Kitchenaid mixer to blend the pastry and it made this so simple but I just bought a new Cuisinart blender/processor combo so next time I think I will try it to cut the butter into the flour. I think it might be faster.
After cutting the butter into the flour and moistening the crumbles with a few tablespoons of ice water, pour the buttery crumbles of dough out of the mixing bowl onto a large piece of plastic wrap and draw the edges of the plastic together gathering the dough crumbles into a disc. Voila! Pastry dough.
Click on the images below for a better look and more details.
After sealing the edges it's time to get them ready for the oven. Brush them with an egg beaten together with a little water or milk and then score them three times using a sharp knife, blade or bread lame.
After scoring the pastries, put them into a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
I served these with a salad very similar to my Massaged Kale Salad with Scallions, Lemon and Cashews.
I love my julienne peeler for making long thin strips of broccoli stem or carrots for my salads.
We ate two of the six pies for our dinner and then I put the other 4 in the freezer in quart size freezer bags for later. I reheated them when the kids came for dinner by putting them into the oven frozen and baking them for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. I covered them with foil half way through baking to keep them from browning too much and they came out delicious!
I hope you enjoy this delicious and versatile hand pie recipe. I would love to hear how they turn out for you!
Cheers!
~Melisa
Irish Lamb Hand Pies
makes 6 pies
Ingredients
2 cups pastry or all purpose flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar (optional)
1/2 to 3/4 cup butter
4 to 7 tablespoons tablespoons ice water
2 cups leftover Shepherds Pie or substitute any other thick stew or chili like my Chicken Chili or my Jamaican Beef Stew
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water or milk
Method
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl or mixer bowl.
With an electric mixer, food processor, pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, cut or rub the fat into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal with some larger pieces still remaining.
Sprinkle in the ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Continue until the dough is just moist enough to hold together. Then gather it into a ball by pouring the bowl out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and gathering the edges together pressing the dough crumbs into a flat disc. Divide the disc in two, wrap separately and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
Divide the dough evenly into six balls, roll out each ball on a floured surface into approximately 4 x 6 inch discs and fill with 1/3 cup shepherds pie filling as shown above. Brush the edges of the dough with the beaten egg then fold and press, sealing the edges with a fork. Cover the balls of dough to keep them from drying out. and keep them chilled while you fill and form the pies.
Brush the pies completely with the egg beaten together with 1 tablespoon water or milk. Score them three times across the top using a sharp knife, blade or bread lame.
When all of the pies are prepared, bake on a parchment covered baking sheet in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.
Allow them to cool for a few minutes before breaking into all that yummy goodness inside. They will be very hot.
