Beef and Potato Hand Pies with Arugula Yogurt Salad

Beef and Potato Hand Pies with Arugula Yogurt Salad

Ground beef, mushrooms, potatoes. The heady scent of curry, soft subtly tangy pastry dough, peppery arugula, creamy yogurt, and the vinegar kick of spicy pickled vegetables. Comfort and zing.

Beef not your thing? These would be just as tasty without the beef. Just up the mushrooms. I think that’s what I’ll do next time. And there will be a next time.

Confession: I do not actually know how many hand pies this will make because what I actually made was one cast iron pot pie and one hand pie. I was going to make hand pies for dinner but then I just couldn’t quite motivate plus I was too hungry to take pictures before dinner and etc, etc, blah blah blah. So I pulled off a clump of dough and a cup of filling so I could make another pie just to share with you. This means there may end up being left over filling or not quite enough filling for one cup per pie.

Bonus: these bits can be made ahead. The dough keeps quite well in the fridge overnight. You could also assemble the hand pies and freeze them well sealed for weeks or months.

On the pickled veggies: these were leftover from the Vietnamese style pork salad rolls I made a while back. They have been scolding me from their perch on the top shelf of the fridge for weeks. If you don’t have any disapproving pickled veggies on your top shelf you can make some or alternately Mezzetta makes some nice varieties.

Beef and Potato Hand Pies with Arugula Yogurt Salad

Ingredients

filling

• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 or three medium potatoes cut into one-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• ½ lb. button mushrooms
• 1 ¼ pounds ground beef, 10% fat or less
• Spices- 2 tbsp. of your favorite curry powder blend OR approximately a ½ tsp. of turmeric, ¼ tsp. cayenne. ½ tsp. coriander. ¼ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. cumin, a shake of paprika, a shake of cinnamon.
• Salt to taste- I served harissa on the side, which is quite salty so I kept the salt to the bare minimum in the filling.

dough

• 1 cup ww pastry flour
• 1 cup AP flour
• pinch of salt
• 8 T (one stick) chilled or even slightly frozen unsalted butter cut into quarter inch pieces
• ¼-1/2 cup plain yogurt

for the egg wash

• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water

sides that went exceptionally well with the hand pies and made it all come together

• handful or two of arugula
• yogurt
• spicy pickled carrots and onions with about a tablespoon of the brine

directions

To make the pastry dough:

Combine the flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Whir to combine. Add the chilled butter and pulse 8-10 times in one second intervals until butter is about pea size

Add yogurt a few tablespoons at a time. Pulse for about ten seconds until yogurt is integrated and the mixture just begins to come together and form a ball.

Remove from food processor and form into a six-inch round. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes or overnight.

For the filling:

In a non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil on medium for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook until onion begins to soften. Add mushrooms and ground beef. Break up the ground beef and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the cooked ground beef, if needed. Add potatoes and allow to cook for 5 to 8 minutes, mixing occasionally.

Add spices. Mix well and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat and allow filling to cool. The cooler the filling the easier the pies are to assemble, warm filling makes warm dough, and warm dough can get messy fast.

To assemble the hand pies:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.

Divide the chilled dough into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured surface roll each piece into ten-inch rounds. If my filling was still warm I would roll all the dough out first. If my filling was cool I would make one pie at a time from start to finish. In either case keep the dough cool, either the pre-rolled crusts or the un-rolled portions.

Add about one cup of filling to each round (see confession above for the accuracy of this amount). Brush egg along one side of the circle. Fold in half and using your fingers, seal the pie. Using your fingers or the tines of a fork, crimp the edges. Brush the pies with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the pies to cool about ten minutes before serving.

Serve with a handful of arugula tossed with yogurt and pickled vegetable and brine. Serve additional yogurt and harissa on the side if desired.

Beef and Potato Hand Pies with Arugula Yogurt Salad

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 8 meal sized pies

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 or three medium potatoes cut into one-inch pieces
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• ½ lb. button mushrooms
• 1 ¼ pounds ground beef 10% fat or less
• Spices- 2 tbsp. of your favorite curry powder blend OR approximately a ½ tsp. of turmeric ¼ tsp. cayenne. ½ tsp. coriander. ¼ tsp. black pepper, ¼ tsp. cumin, a shake of paprika, a shake of cinnamon.
• Salt to taste- I served harissa on the side which is quite salty so I kept the salt to the bare minimum in the filling.
• *
• 1 cup ww pastry flour
• 1 cup AP flour
• pinch of salt
• 8 T one stick chilled or even slightly frozen unsalted butter cut into quarter inch pieces
• ¼-1/2 cup plain yogurt
• *
• 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
• *
• handful or two of arugula
• yogurt
• spicy pickled carrots and onions with about a tablespoon of the brine

Instructions

 

• To make the pastry dough:
• Combine the flours and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Whir to combine. Add the chilled butter and pulse 8-10 times in one second intervals until butter is about pea size
• Add yogurt a few tablespoons at a time. Pulse for about ten seconds until yogurt is integrated and the mixture just begins to come together and form a ball.
• Remove from food processor and form into a six-inch round. Wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes or overnight.
• For the filling:
• In a non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, heat olive oil on medium for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onion and cook until onion begins to soften. Add mushrooms and ground beef. Break up the ground beef and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the cooked ground beef, if needed. Add potatoes and allow to cook for 5 to 8 minutes, mixing occasionally.
• Add spices. Mix well and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pan from heat and allow filling to cool. The cooler the filling the easier the pies are to assemble, warm filling makes warm dough, and warm dough can get messy fast.
• To assemble the hand pies:
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment.
• Divide the chilled dough into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured surface roll each piece into ten-inch rounds. If my filling was still warm I would roll all the dough out first. If my filling was cool I would make one pie at a time from start to finish. In either case keep the dough cool, either the pre-rolled crusts or the un-rolled portions.
• Add about one cup of filling to each round (see confession above for the accuracy of this amount). Brush egg along one side of the circle. Fold in half and using your fingers, seal the pie. Using your fingers or the tines of a fork, crimp the edges. Brush the pies with the egg wash and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the pies to cool about ten minutes before serving.
• Serve with a handful of arugula tossed with yogurt and pickled vegetable and brine. Serve additional yogurt and harissa on the side if desired.

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