Mini-Meat Pies

This was the featured recipe on epicurious recently. Go to their website and photos of these sweet little pork pies will pop up, individual-sized, baked up in a muffin pan. I think I glanced at the photo and thought they looked interesting but I was on a mission of some sort, in search of something. Probably a cake recipe with an emphasis on cloves.

But then a friend said she'd made the little pork pies. Say it with me now: PORK PIES!

How can you say no?

Well, I did say no to ground pork on my trip to the market to rustle up the ingredients for this recipe. I don't know that I've ever bought ground pork before in my life, but doesn't it usually come in un-see-through packaging? Because the stuff at the store was wrapped in saran wrap and I could see the ground-porkiness in all its fatty pink glory and I marched right past it to grab a package of lean all-natural beef.

My friend described these aptly -- they are MAN FOOD. Capitalized. Hand-held meat pies. Meat. Wrapped. In. Pie. Crust. When I explained to my husband what they were, an expression washed over his face that made it clear he thought it was a glorious day. The clouds had parted and he'd been introduced to mini-meat-pies and he only had one question for me -- why hadn't I made them sooner?

They are pretty good. Like a cross between a hamburger and a good meat loaf wrapped in a pot pie crust.

Mini-Meat Pies

Makes 12

3/4 pound ground pork or beef
1 medium onion, either peeled and grated or very finely chopped in the food processor
1 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 T chopped fresh sage
1/2 c bread crumbs
2 (9-inch) discs prerolled, refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the dough and 1 tablespoon of the eggs. Unroll the dough and roll a little flatter than it already is. Cut out twelve 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass. Reroll the scraps, then cut out 12 more 2-inch circles. Alternatively, you can make the bottom crusts slightly larger than 4 inches round, then use the overhang to wrap over the meat, leaving an opening in the center to vent.

Line the bottoms and sides of the tins with the 4-inch rounds. Divide the filling evenly among the cups. Press the 2-inch rounds on top, pinching the edges together to seal. Poke a hole in the center of each pie to vent. Brush with the reserved egg and bake until the tops are browned and puffed slightly, 30 to 35 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pies. Serve warm.

Comments

[JennDZ_The Leftover Queen]

These look perfect for the fall!

Welcome to The Foodie Blogroll!

[Ally]

I love me a meat pie! They look great!

[Belinda]

Mmmm...these sound really good! And yours look ten times better than the ones on Epicurious...very enticing. :-)

[Julie]

Those look delicious and using the silicone muffin trays clean ups a breeze.

[Deborah Dowd]

These look likie a beautiful alternative to chili or wings for the Sunday game!