Beef Curry Pies - Hand Pies

 
Cold weather finally!  Easy comfort food is on the menu.  I don't know about you but the easiest organic meat to find is ground beef yet, recipes for ground meat seem to be chili, hamburger, meatballs - not again my kids scream! Although, their favorite dish is my sweet and sour meatballs . 
Epicurious to the rescue with this hand pies.  These would be great for a Super Bowl Party too.
FYI Costco has the best price on organic ground beef.

I cut potatoes too big.

Cupcake pans make it easy.

Choice - make more pies or make a covered top?  I choose more pies so I cut excesses into strips. 

Hand full of fun and tasty



Beef and Curry Pie 

from Epicurious

Adapted

3/4 pound organic ground beef

2 tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon curry powder (preferably Madras)
1 large organic russet (baking) potato, ¼ inch pieces (1 cup)
10 tablespoons water
¼ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 (17 ¼ ounce) packages frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
 

1. Mix together beef, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and garlic with your hands until combined well
2. Heat oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, then add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up beef into small pieces, until just browned, about 4 minutes
3. Drain beef in a colander set over a bowl (reserve skillet) and return beef drippings to uncleaned skillet
4. Heat drippings over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add curry powder and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are translucent, 3 to 5 minutes more
6. Add water and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, until liquid is absorbed and potatoes are tender, about 1 minute
7. Return beef to skillet and stir in peas, then cool filling, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes
8. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 400°F
9. Roll out one sheet of dough into a 12-inch square on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin and cut out 4 (5-inch) rounds with cutter.
10.  Spray cupcake pan with light oil
11.  Place round of pastry in each cupcake cup
12.  Mound filling onto each
13.  Cut excessive pasty and cover tops
14.  Bake until pies are deep golden brown and puffed, 25 to 30 minutes
15.  Cool pies to warm, about 10 minutes, or room temperature

Notes:
Reheat on a baking sheet in middle of a 350°F oven until filling is hot, about 15 minutes.

Original Recipe Beef and Curry Pie

 

Roasted Salmon, Beets and Potatoes with Horseradish Cream

Beets, beets and more beets winters finest vegetable...  Best of all kids love the bright colored pee...the day after.  What a way to sell a vegetable to kids.

Great dish liked by all after a few grunts of despair, "fish, fish...we hate fish!"

Roasted Salmon, Beets and Potatoes with Horseradish Cream

from Food and Wine Magazine

Quick from Scratch One Dish Meals Cookbook

adapted

1 1/2 pounds organic beets peeled and diced into cubes
4T safflower oil
1t sea salt
1/2 dried dill
freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 pounds organic baking potatoes diced into cubes
1 1/2 pound skinless salmon fillets (not farmed raised)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 - 4T bottled horseradish

~ heat oven 450 degrees (I used toaster oven)
~ on large baking sheet toss the beets with 1T oil, 1/4t salt, 1/4t dill and 1/8t pepper
~ cook in upper third of oven stirring once for 20 minutes, stirring once
~ remove pan from oven and push beets to one side and add potatoes
~ toss the potatoes with 1T oil, 1/4t salt and 1/8t pepper
~ return pan to oven and cook 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once (keep separated)
~ heat cast iron skillet medium heat and add 2T oil
~ sprinkle fish with 1/4t salt and  1/8t pepper
~ place in skillet 4 minutes and flip cook another 3 to 4 minutes
~ mix cream and horseradish
~ serve

Indian Style Shepard's Pie

Potatoes and beef a perfect carnivore combination.  Once again the day was a rush, so I employed the pressure cooker for a quick dinner.  Great dinner protein, starch and vegetables all in one.

To finish it off I opted for my small toaster oven. I also have a larger counter oven.   I like using the smaller oven so the kitchen does not heat up as well as saving energy.  I rarely use my regular oven, too big, too old (a Modern Maid, great name) and worst of all not calibrated.  It is very cool looking and I plan on getting it calibrated soon although.

sweet potatoes and red potatoes

pressure cooker including bones

Indian Style Shepard's Pie

from Sara Moulton Cooks at Home

adapted

1 1/2 pounds lamb cubed

1T safflower oil

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 medium onion chopped

1 inch piece of ginger grated with microplaner

3/4t ground cumin

1/2T ground coriander

1/8 cup flour

1 cup organic chicken broth

juice from one key lime

1 serrano chili green seeded and minced

1 cup organic chopped tomatoes

1/2 organic baby spinach

1 1/2 cups small cauliflower florets

1 1/4 pound organic sweet potatoes

3 medium organic red potatoes

~ heat oil in pressure cooker medium/high

~ add lamb and brown on all sides season with salt and pepper about 5-7 minutes

~ remove lamb and transfer to a bowl

~ reduce heat to medium and add onions and a tiny pinch of salt 

~ cook stirring until tender about 5 minutes

~ add garlic and ginger and cook for about 3 minutes

~ add the cumin, coriander and flour stirring often 3 minutes

~ add stock and increase heat simmer 5 minutes

~ stir in lime juice, tomatoes, lamb and collected juices 

~ put lid on pressure cooker and cook 14 minutes 

~ turn off heat and allow to naturally reduce on it's own

~ while meat cooks microwave potatoes

~ mash cooked potatoes

~ remove lid from pressure cooker

~ remove bones

~ add spinach and cauliflower 

~ preheat conventional oven 400 or toaster oven 325

~ put lamb mixture in baking dish and put mashed potatoes on top

~ cook for about 25 minutes

Roasted Lemon Potatoes

I love potatoes.  The other adult in the house likes rice. I trump since I cook.  The little people like both.   

Even with the winter chill, my herbs and citrus are bountiful.  Nothing is better than walking outside to pick my ingredients.  Exciting gardening news for me, the little green house is up and filled with herbs, vegetables and flowers.

 

fresh oregano

freshly picked meyers lemon

Roasted Lemon Potatoes

from Sara Moulton Cooks at Home

adapted

2 pounds organic red potatoes cut into cubes

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1T chopped fresh oregano

3T chopped fresh parsley

1/4 cup or less extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground pepper and kosher salt

~ preheat oven 450

~ cut and soak potatoes

~ drain and dry potatoes

~ toss with lemon juice and let sit 5 minutes or more for brighter lemon flavor

~ add oregano, parsley, olive oil, salt, and pepper to potatoes and toss

~ transfer to a shallow baking dish

~ roast stirring occasionally until golden brown about 35 minutes

~ serve hot

I thought this dish was better the next morning as hash browns.

French Fries Nuked and Baked

Rain, rain come this way please....  We love the rain and rush outside at the first drop dressed in galoshes and shorts.  Perfect for those rainy days...fries by the fire.

The most awesome chopper.  Unfortunately, most stores not longer carry it but a poor imitation.

Large Steak Fries Baked Not Fried

from ME

mix of red and russet organic potatoes (whatever you need/like)  Leave the skin on

salt

olive oil

~ preheat oven 500

~ grease baking sheets with a small amount of olive oil

~ place baking sheets in oven

~ cut fries

~ soak fries to pull out starch 

~ dry fries (I use my salad spinner)
~ toss fries with a bit of olive oil about 1T or 2T and 1t or more garlic powder (adjust to your taste)

~ microwave on baked potato mode (1,2 or 3 depending on amount, but less is more)

~ put fries on hot baking sheet, single layer

~ bake about 20 minutes

~ flip fries once for browning

~ perfect fries: soft on the inside and crispy outside

If you have more time and don't do things at the last minute like me...you can skip micro and just bake forever or it just seems that way.