What’s Cooking, Good Looking?

Some of my favorite childhood memories involve going to see my mom’s family in Butte, Mont. for the Fourth of July. It was a requirement at some point along the trip we would find ourselves in a greasy spoon diner eating Irish Pasties – pronounced PASS-tee. 

These half-moon shaped shells are stuffed with hearty meat and vegetables. I like to serve mine with a side of brown gravy, but I’ve seen people simply dip them in ketchup or mustard.

People probably won’t ever see a pasty win a fancy cooking competition, but these hearty meals will stick with them through long days of digging out from the snow. 

I found this recipe on The Taste of Montana website, where they also had some fun history about pasties in the area. With St. Patrickʼs Day right around the corner, it is the perfect time to give these a try.

Irish Pasties 

Ingredients

Pie Crust

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

8 oz. unsalted cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 tsp. kosher salt

7-9 tbsp. ice water

Traditional Pasty Filling

10 oz. beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

8 small potatoes, cubed

2 large carrots, peeled and cubed

1 small onion, finely diced

1 egg, beaten

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

garlic to taste (optional)

Instructions

For the pie crust, sift together the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the cold butter pieces, and work it in with your hands until you have a pea-sized texture. 

Add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough starts to hold together and look shaggy. 

Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll out each portion into thin, dinner plate sized disks.

Place the beef, potatoes, carrots, onion and seasonings into a bowl and mix together. Mound the mixture on one side of each pie dough rollout. 

Fold the dough over and pinch the edges, creating a pocket – like a calzone. Place the pasties on a baking sheet about one-inch apart and brush the tops with the beaten egg. 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about one hour.

Tressa Lawrence lives and works on her family’s cattle ranch, where she runs cattle, cooks a few meals, has been digging out of the snow incessantly and juggles freelance writing and photography. Comments can be sent to lawrenceranchbeefco@gmail.com.