I’m just going to come out and say it. Even if I am tooting my own horn.
These here handpies are a really, really good idea. I defy any meatloaf haters out there to not fall in love
Just don’t call them meatloaf until they’ve tried them. Meat pies with a cheddar cheese crust will do just fine for starters…
Served with a Dark Chocolate Porter from Lighthouse Brewing, these made a tasty handheld late-summer dinner on the back deck. And if I could adequately describe the leftovers that I had for lunch breakfast, I would. But if you love meatloaf, you’ll know what I’m saying — now add a cheddar crust to it — cold meatloaf just got 100x better.
Is that even possible?
Feel free to use your own meatloaf recipe in the crust…what do you put in your meatloaf?
: Meatloaf Hand Pies, Cheddar Crust
: Tasty, juicy meatloaf wrapped in a cheddar crust. Makes a very tasty lunch or dinner on the go.
- All-Purpose Flour – 2 Cups
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Cayenne – ¼ tsp
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated – 1 Cup (lightly packed — 4 oz)
- Butter, cold & cubed – ¾ Cup
- Ice Water – ¼ Cup
- Lemon Juice or Vinegar – 1 tsp
Meatloaf:
- Onion, peeled and chopped – ½ small
- Carrot, peeled and chopped – 1 small
- Celery, chopped – 1 small stalk
- Ground Beef – 1 lb
- Egg – 1
- Fresh Bread Crumbs – 2 Tble
- Ketchup – 2 Tble
- Worcestershire Sauce – 2 tsp
- Sriracha – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Pepper – ½ tsp
- Egg (to wash the pastry before baking)
- Cheddar Crust: Combine the flour, salt, cayenne, cheese and half the butter in the bowl of a food processor and process for approx. 10 seconds. Add the remaining butter, and pulse 2-3 times, until the butter is in pea-sized lumps.
- Sprinkle the water and lemon juice over top and pulse 4 or 5 times until the dough holds together when pinched.
- Pour the mixture onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, gather and flatten it into a disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.
- Meatloaf: Pulse the onion, carrot and celery in the food processor until finely minced, but not yet liquid. Combine this mixture with the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix well with your hands. Divide into 6 equal portions. Store in the refrigerator until ready to assemble.
- Assemble the hand pies: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and allow to soften, if necessary, for 10 minutes.
- On a lightly floured board, roll out the pastry into a rough circle about 1/8” thick. Slide a pastry scraper under the dough periodically as you roll it out to prevent sticking. Cut (6) 6” circles from the dough, then roll each circle to lengthen into a slight oblong.
- Pile 1 portion of meatloaf onto the bottom half of each oblong, leaving a 1/2” border to seal. Wet the bottom edge of the pastry with water, and fold the top half over to make a pie. Press, then crimp the edges to seal well, and with a sharp knife make a slit or hole on the top of each pie to vent the steam. Repeat with remaining pastry and meatloaf.
- Chill all of the filled pies for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), and move the oven rack to the middle position.
- Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water. Brush the tops of the hand pies with the egg wash, then bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown, turning and rotating the pans halfway through.
- Serve them hot with a salad for dinner. They also make great cold lunches or snacks. Addictive, actually.
Notes:
- To crimp the pie shut, you basically roll the edge of the dough under itself as you work left to right. This video gives the best angle of all the “how-to crimp a pasty” videos I watched. There’s no audio, but it’s clear what the cook is doing, even if it is a little trickier than her old hands make it look.
Culinary tradition: USA (General)
Copyright © 2009-2012 Island Vittles/Theresa Carle-Sanders. Don’t Steal – Karma’s Real.
MMMMMMmmmm. A little like Cornish Pasties. Love the cheddar pastry combination.
Pasties and Bridies were the inspiration, Andrea!
oh man. ooooooh wow. This is happening RIGHT NOW.
Enjoy them, Eric!
This looks really good & quite achievable, but what is “Sriracha”?? I’m quite sure it’s not available in Dinsmore, SK, so would there be a substitute?
it`s hot sauce, Lorna. Substitute a few drops of tabasco, if you have that. :)
Spotted this recipe last Friday afternoon, spent Saturday pondering how tasty those pies looked, and broke down and made them on Sunday–with the addition of mixing into the meatloaf a bunch of sliced green onions. Absolutely wonderful! Served them with garlic and pecorino romano cheese mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and nice bottle of wine. A great comfort meal for ushering in all the cold and rain that Sandy brought this week.