“Shadow had no idea what a pasty was, but he said that would be fine, and in a few moments Mabel returned with a plate with what looked like a folded-over pie on it. The lower half was wrapped in a paper napkin. Shadow picked it up with the napkin and bit into it: it was warm and filled with meat, potatoes, carrots, onions.  ‘First pasty I’ve ever had,’ he said. ‘It’s real good.'”

-American Gods, by Neil Gaiman

Thoughts:

Rich, savory meat and vegetables wrapped up in pastry. What’s not to love? Pasties are a traditional fare in the UK, where they feature a variety of fillings. Mine is a basic version, although I swapped in some buffalo meat in place of regular beef, and couldn’t be happier with the choice. Each bite has a combination of meat, veg, and flaky pastry just lightly coated with a flavorful gravy.

They are even better with a little sharp cheddar and/or sauce, such as chutney or ketchup.

Lakeside Pasties Recipe

Prep time: 45 minutes       Makes: ~10 pasties

Ingredients:

• pastry dough for 2 pie crusts
• 5 slices bacon
• 2 carrots, chopped small
• 1 medium potato, chopped small
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 lb. meat (good beef, bison, venison, or lamb are all great)
• 2 Tbs. butter, divided
• 1 Tbs. flour
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 egg, beaten, for wash

Fry the bacon in a large pan until just crispy. Remove the bacon, leaving the grease. Add the vegetables to the grease and cook for around two minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in about 1/2 cup of water, cover, and allow to simmer for another few minutes, until the potatoes and carrots can be easily pierced with a fork. Scoop out the vegetables, leaving as much of the liquid behind as possible.

Into the liquid, melt a Tbs. of butter. Sprinkle in a Tbs. of flour, stirring all the while. When this mixture begins to thicken, add the broth and continue to mix until the whole is one relatively smooth consistency. Pour into a separate bowl with the bacon and veggies.

Season meat with a generous pinch of salt. Melt another Tbs. butter in the pan, and brown the meat. Pour the gravy-veggie mixture back into the pan with the browned meat. Stir around to mix up completely.

Roll out the dough to a little under 1/4″ thick, and cut out 8″ circles. Fill with a heaping serving of the filling. Brush the edge with beaten egg, fold the dough over, and seal with a fork.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350F.