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Lamb + Potato Hand Pies

by Hunar Baig
Lamb+potato-hand-pie

Lamb + Potato Hand Pies

The light flaky pastry that has a tender crumb, filled with wonderfully seasoned lamb mince, tender potatoes flavourful onions all in a petit golden brown package. These hand pies are out of this world good and so enjoyable to make, I love to serve these with endless cups of tea and ketchup, yes I know ketchup sounds weird but trust me the sweet-salty tangy tomato flavour works amazingly well with these gorgeous pies.

Lamb+potato-hand-pie
Lamb+potato-hand-pie

This dough is crisp, light, flaky, bakes extremely well and works amazingly well with so many different kinds of fillings, and is a snap to make. These remind me of traditional cornish pastries but smaller and lighter but just as delicious. You can make this dough a couple of days in advance if needed.

Lamb+potato-hand-pie

I like to cook the potatoes a little more than I would in a normal filling recipe because when the potatoes cook in the oven they mush slightly and have a wonderful cornish pasty like softness and this adds a lovely subtle creaminess to the dish. Adding the white onions in with the potatoes later in the dish means that the mixture stays moist without the addition of a lot of fat, there is a lot of butter in the dough so if there is a lot of fat in the filling then the pies will become greasy and leak out of the pastry and no one wants that.

Lamb+potato-hand-pie

The method for making the pies:

  1. Roll out the dough to about the thickness of a coin
  2. Cut out circles of dough with a large mug or cookie cutter
  3. On one side of the circle put about a tablespoon of the filling 
  4. Dab a little water on the edge and close the pastry
  5. Seal off the edge with a fork and prick a couple of times to release steam
  6. Egg wash and place on a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper (You can use foil if you’re in a pinch!)
  7. Bake at (180 degrees Celsius / gas mark 4 / 275 Fahrenheit) for 20 – 25 minutes flipping the tray halfway through cooking time until the pies are golden brown and well cooked
Lamb+potato-hand-pie
Lamb+potato-hand-pie

If you have leftover filling as I did you can make this amazing grilled cheese sandwich that I made here :

This is also a great recipe for any kind of leftover pie, lasagna or pastry fillings!

Lamb+potato-hand-pie

I recommend making the savoury pastries in a crescent shape as this holds the savoury fillings a lot better and gives a beautiful crisp edge to the pies, you’ll get roughly 25 hand pies and they freeze well and bake up nicely, just remember to egg wash them and freeze them flat and spaced well. You can scrape up the dough after you’ve cut out the pies and knead it back together and continue the process to finish the dough. This recipe is super fun to make, freezes well and is a joy to eat, enjoy!

Lamb+potato-hand-pie_pin

Lamb + Potato Hand Pies

Hunar Baig
Prep Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Servings 25 pastries

Equipment

  • Pastry brush
  • Cookie-cutter or large coffee mug
  • Baking trays
  • Potato Masher

Ingredients
  

Hand PIe Dough

  • 250 g butter (1 cup)
  • 2 (275g) cups plain flour (plus extra for dusting and kneading)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup ice-cold water (I normally use about a 1/4 cup)

Lamb and Potato Filling

  • 500 g Lamb mince (1/2 kg)
  • 1 chopped medium shallot
  • 2 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1 medium chopped white onion
  • 2 large maris piper potatoes (peeled and chopped into cubes)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic granules
  • 1/2 tsp onion salt
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • 1/4 tsp smoked sweet paprika
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • water

Egg wash

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbsp milk

Instructions
 

Hand Pie Dough

  • Start by cutting the cold butter into small cubes
  • In a large mixing bowl mix the dry ingredients and add the butter and egg yolk, have a cup of ice-cold water with a tablespoon ready but don't use the water yet!
  • Start to incorporate the butter and flour mixture together until it has a crumble like consistency / the consistency of wet sand.
    You can do this by hand or using a food processor
  • Now add a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough starts to come together. I normally use about a quarter of a cup but, every time you make this the amount of water will probably change, so go slow and steady
  • Place the dough onto a clean surface and knead with a bit of flour until the pasty is not sticky and well combined and soft and form into a round disc
  • Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour
    Take the pastry out of the fridge 20 – 30 minutes before rolling out

Lamb and Potato Filling

  • Heat up about 2 – 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and brown the shallots and garlic on a medium heat
  • Add in the lamb mince and brown well for about 5 – 10 minutes, once browned use a potato masher to break up the mince finely
  • Continue by adding in the spices, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce stir well. Then pour in one cup of hot water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes or until the water has dried up and the lamb is well cooked
  • Now on a high heat fry the potatoes and onions into the lamb mixture, add in about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of water or until the potatoes are just covered and cook for 15 – 25 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the water has reduced
  • Now on a high heat fry the mixture for a couple of minutes so that there is no water, take out the bay leaf and the mixture is now done, taste and season if necessary
  • Let it cool completely, you can store this in the fridge for a couple of days if you choose

Making the Pastries

  • Cut the dough into quarters and roll the dough to about the thickness of a coin on a floured surface
  • Use a round cookie cutter or a large round mug to cut out circles of dough
  • Put about a tablespoon of the lamb mixture onto a circle of dough more to one side, dip your finger into water and run them around the rim of the pastry and seal it closed
  • Properly seal the edge with a fork and prick to release steam and egg wash and place onto a baking tray lined with grease-proof paper
  • Bake at (180 degrees Celsius / gas mark 4 / 355 Fahrenheit) for 20 – 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp
  • Repeat with the rest of the dough and mixture until one of the other runs out, you can take the scraps of pastry and knead it together and continue the process

Notes

– These are great served with ketchup or relish
– You can seal the edges with your fingers if you prefer
Keyword Lamb, Pastry

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