Recipe: Irish Beef Pies

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I will be the first to admit that I don't really celebrate this holiday. I'm not Irish. But Stefan does have some Irish lineage, so he uses today as an excuse to drink a Black & Tan. I, however, turn to food, because I'm not a beer drinker. So alas, here is a recipe for Irish Beef Pies. I'll be serving these tonight with mashed potatoes. They are great from the freezer, and you don't even need to thaw them before baking. This is from Martha Stewart Everyday Food.

Irish Beef Pies
Makes 8.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 head green cabbage, shredded
1/2 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 pound ground beef sirloin
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
All-purpose flour, for rolling
2 piecrusts (9 inches each), homemade or store-bought

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

1. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium; add cabbage and potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, and 1 cup water. Cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly mash mixture with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.

2. On a lightly floured work surface, roll each crust into a 14-inch square; cut each into 4 equal squares. Place 1/2 cup filling on one half of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the filling. Brush borders with water; fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. With a paring knife or scissors, cut 3 small vents in each. (**I am thinking of making one big pie next time, instead of making 8 individual pies. This will cut way back on prep time, and I think it will turn out just like chicken pot pie, only with beef. I would just increase the cooking time to 30 minutes, or 60 minutes if baking from frozen.)

3. Transfer pies to 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

To Freeze: Prepare through step 2. Arrange unbaked pies on a baking sheet (they should not touch); freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Wrap each pie in foil. Place in a resealable plastic bag; freeze up to 2 months.

To Bake from Frozen: Proceed with step 3, increasing baking time to 28 to 30 minutes.