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Meat and Potato Pasties

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I have really been trying to cut down on grocery expenses lately. It seems like grocery bills just keep going up and up. So when I find a recipe that uses inexpensive ingredients, I’m all over it. That is what I thought when I saw this recipe. Simple, cheap ingredients. And it was even better that I had some potatoes on hand and ground beef in the freezer. Throw in some flour and butter, and dinner is ready!

I liked these ok, but I think they would be even better with a few changes. First of all, these are HUGE!! Each pastie is supposed to feed one person, but they are seriously humongous. I think one could easily feed 2 people. What I should have done is make them half the size. I also forgot to add salt and pepper, and you do not want to forget the salt and pepper in these, especially since there are so few ingredients.

What is your favorite recipe to use when you are trying to go “cheap”?

Meat and Potato Pasties

from Real Simple May 2010
serves 4
hands-on time: 40 minutes
total time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
1 pound ground beef chuck
2 medium russet potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 medium onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper
4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for rolling
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Heat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the beef, potatoes, onions, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Place the flour, butter and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter, working until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size lumps remaining. Add 2/3 cup ice water; mix with a fork and work with your hands until a dough comes together. If the dough is still crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 4 more tablespoons). Do not overwork. Shape the dough into 4 small disks and let rest for 10 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each disk into a 10-inch circle.
Divide the beef mixture among the circles of dough, shaping the meat into a small loaf. Gather and pull up the sides of the dough around the filling, pressing the edges together to form a seam on top. Using your fingers, crimp the seam. Transfer the pasties to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

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Comments

  1. tryityoumightlikeit says

    We make a French-Canadian soup called Fricot which has potatoes and steak. We season it with onion powder since my husband doesn't like onions. It is such an easy and warm dish in the winter. I always make baking powder biscuits with it and the kids LOVE that meal.

    Reply

  2. Blu486 says

    Up north, at the pastie places, these are served with beef gravy. That makes them sort of like a beef pot pie. Truly yummy!

    Reply

  3. Muneeba says

    Comfort food should definitely have carbs in it, and your pasties look finger-lickin' good! My "cheap" food would involve some one-dish meal with rice.

    Reply

  4. Maria says

    I've only had a pastie once, but was not a fan. Too bland for me. Maybe I will have to give them another try though.

    Reply

  5. grace says

    ah, good ol' meat and taters, and in packaged form, AND on the cheap. it doesn't get much better, deborah–nice job!

    Reply

  6. teresa says

    i love meals like this, and the funny thing is they seem to be the ones that my family loves most!

    Reply

  7. catberner says

    I've seen variations on this recipe in different places, and I bet with a little tweaking of yours, it could be great!
    Most of the meals I make are cheap. I always base my weekly menus on what's on sale at the store and rarely buy fancy ingredients. I like to make casseroles and soups because I can stretch meat that way, and pancakes and waffles for dinner is always a super cheap meal!

    Reply

  8. Joanne says

    I love how simple this filling is. My grocery bill has been better lately but only because I've been severely watching it. It's rough.

    Reply

  9. Ingrid says

    LOL, you forgot salt & pepper? Were these made while you were watching those 5 kiddos? 🙂

    I can definitely see the potential in this recipe.
    ~ingrid

    Reply

  12. Bellini Valli says

    My mom used to make us pasties every now and then. They are perfect little handpies for lunch:D

    Reply

  13. Mrsblocko says

    Spaghetti and soup are 2 things we do to strech our grocery budget. I also make sure I stock up on things when they are on sale. Esp meat.

    These pasties are a great time saver too. My mom made a bunch of these after I had my daughter. All I had to do was take them out of the freezer the night before to defrost. She added a few shakes of worchestershire sauce and carrots to her version.

    Reply

  14. Kim says

    I know what you mean about those pesky grocery bills. Sometimes I can't believe it when they ring me up. I think pasties are a great idea and also like that you can hide veggies in there (I need all the help I can get with that).

    When I go cheap, I usually make a pasta dish, homemade pizza with whatever is in the fridge, or sometimes I'll stretch one cut of meat like a roast into two or more meals. Lately I've been into soup, which is usually pretty cheap to make.

    Good luck reducing your grocery bill. If you find the magic secret, let us know;-)

    Reply

  15. kat says

    Yum, I love a good pasty. I used to fill them wit spinach,feta & pine nuts & make enough to take to lunch all week.

    Reply

  16. Debbi Does Dinner Healthy says

    These look really good! Very simple and cheap but I'll bet they tasted great! I can see why you wouldn't want to forget the salt and pepper though!

    I don't really have any specific cheap ingredients but I buy when things are on sale and try to match coupons with sales and base my meals around that. I try not to have meals with highly unique ingredients. Usually I just need to pick up fill in items like cilantro. Cilantro never really goes on sale. 🙂

    Reply