With St. Patrick’s day just around the corner, Jen and I wanted to take traditional Irish fare and have a little fun with it. We were already planning to make the Guinness Irish Beef Stew with Caramelized Onions, so rather than start over, we just made extra. I mean it’s not like it was ever going to go to waste either way. #yum
Now the debate begins! I thought that the crust should take the place of the mashed potatoes, but Jen pointed out that more potatoes could never be a bad thing. (For the record the stew recipe already has potatoes in it. But also for the record, Jen was right. This time.)
What the Crust
Ahhh…but what crust?! I had both pie crust and phyllo in the fridge and we had plenty of stew so this seemed like the perfect opportunity for a taste test. I predicted the phyllo as the winner and Jen was dead set on the pie crust. In the end?! Tie!
The phyllo holds together better and Steve voted for that one. The pie crust had a nice sweetness to it and Jen voted for that one. I honestly couldn’t decide. So basically you will end up with a delicious meal either way. Choose your own adventure!
Final item: goat cheese
To add or not to add? That is the question. We made them both ways. For the record I’m always pro-goat cheese in the same way that Jen is always pro-potato. We all agreed ADD the goat cheese! The sharp creamy cheese mixed with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and pie crust…mmmm. It’s basically a hand-held pot pie with goat cheese – and it rocks.
FREEZE PLEASE
Another plus, we discovered that these are PERFECT cooked from frozen! So make a bunch ahead of time and you’re good to go for a quick weeknight meal any day of the year!
Irish Beef Stew Hand Pies with Goat Cheese
- Prep Time: 15 mnutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 12 Hand Pies 1x
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS
Irish Beef Stew – use a slotted spoon to strain out some of the liquid. Save liquid to use as pie dipping sauce!
Left Over Mashed Potatoes
2 purchased pie crusts OR 2 – 14 oz packages puff pastry thawed
1 egg lightly beaten
4 oz goat cheese
Instructions
Roll each crust into a 14” square and cut into 4 equal squares. Place 1/3 cup filling on each square, brush edges with water and fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork and brush with egg wash. Cut three slits in top to vent.
Transfer to 400 degree oven and bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes if using pie crust and 20-25 if using puff pastry.
Notes
These are perfect for making ahead and popping in the freezer. Just wait to do the egg wash until you are ready to bake them. To cook from frozen, adjust baking time to 25 minutes.
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