Ardie’s Pasties

Directions

Ardie’s Pasties

Ingredients: The dough: 2½ cups flour (white or King Arthur White Whole Wheat) ½ teaspoon salt 1/3 cup, plus a dab, cold lard

1/3 cup (by feel) cold water (or more, maybe a lot more; your mileage may vary)

The innards: 1 pound ground beef 4 peeled and cubed potatoes ½ onion, chopped Salt to taste Pepper to taste 4 tablespoons butter

A few dabs of milk

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 2. Mix all the dough ingredients together in a bowl, adding the water in small amounts until you have a nice, soft, and fully moisturized wad of dough. It should hold together well. No need to refrigerate. 3. Separate the dough into four balls (or however many you want—fewer if you want big pasties, more if you prefer them smaller). 4. On a floured surface roll out each dough ball. Add the ground beef, potatoes, onions, salt, pepper, and a generous dab of butter. Pull the dough up around the stuffing and crimp together (the final shape should look kind of like a football). Dab a little milk on the top and poke some holes with a fork. Repeat until all pasties are assembled. 5. Place the pasties on a baking sheet (one that has raised sides, so dripping lard doesn’t leak all over the oven). Bake for 15 minutes at 425°, then turn down the oven to 375° and bake for another 40 minutes or until done (usually sooner).

6. Enjoy! (There is no real right or wrong with this recipe, so feel free to adapt it to your preferences. But lard definitely makes the best crust… and the crust is the best part!)

This recipe comes from Maria’s Farm Country Kitchen