Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Moist and tender traditional hand pies filled with steak, onion, potato and swede (rutabaga).
Ingredients
Pastry
450 g (3 2/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour plus a couple of tbsp extra for rolling out the pastry and sprinkling on the tray later
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
125 g (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) unsalted butter chopped into chunks
2 egg yolks
125 ml (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) cold water
Filling
450 g (1 lb) potato peeled and finely diced
150 g (1/3 lb) swede/rutagaba peeled and finely diced
150 g (1/3 lb) onion peeled and finely chopped
300 g (2/3 lb) skirt steak or sirloin steak finely chopped, with fat discarded (weigh the meat after discarding the fat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp unsalted butter chopped into small cubes
1 egg beaten
Instructions
✅First, make your pastry. Place the flour, baking powder, and salt into a food processor and give a quick mix.
✅Add in the butter and whizz until the mixture turns into breadcrumbs.
✅Add in the egg yolks and mix, then, with the motor on, add in the water a bit at a time until the dough comes together into a ball. You may not need all the water.
✅Take the pastry out of the food processor, wrap it in clingfilm or wax paper and refrigerate for an hour.
✅Preheat your oven to 180C/350F (fan). Take two large baking trays and sprinkle them with some flour.
✅Take your pastry out of the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface until you get a thickness you can cut, that won't tear easily. I find that's about 3mm.
✅Cut circles into the dough using a plate that is about 20-21cm (approx 8") in diameter as a template. I find that I get 3 circles out of the first lot. Then I re-roll and get 2 circles, and then I re-roll and get one final circle. You can place the circles stacked onto a plate so long as you have a sprinkling of flour between each layer.
✅In a large bowl, mix your potato, swede/rutagaba, onion, steak, salt, and pepper.
✅Take one of your pastry circles and place it onto your work surface. Place a really good handful of the meat mix onto half of the circle, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. It'll look like a lot of mixture, but it needs to be packed full.
✅Dot 1 1/2 tsp butter (from the 3 tbsp butter) on top of the meat and veg pile.
✅Take your beaten egg, and using a pastry brush, paint a little of the egg wash around the edge of the circle. This will help the pastry stick together.
✅Now, fold the other side of the pastry over the meat until the edges meet and you have a semi-circle. Seal firmly and crimp with your fingers.
✅Place your pasty onto your baking tray and make a little hole in the top using a sharp knife to let out the steam. Repeat with the remaining pasties.
✅Brush the remaining egg wash over the top of the pasties and place in the oven for 50 minutes until golden brown.
✅Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before eating.
Moist and tender traditional hand pies filled with steak, onion, potato and swede (rutabaga).
Ingredients
Pastry
450 g (3 2/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour plus a couple of tbsp extra for rolling out the pastry and sprinkling on the tray later
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
125 g (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) unsalted butter chopped into chunks
2 egg yolks
125 ml (1/2 cup + 1 tsp) cold water
Filling
450 g (1 lb) potato peeled and finely diced
150 g (1/3 lb) swede/rutagaba peeled and finely diced
150 g (1/3 lb) onion peeled and finely chopped
300 g (2/3 lb) skirt steak or sirloin steak finely chopped, with fat discarded (weigh the meat after discarding the fat)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp unsalted butter chopped into small cubes
1 egg beaten
Instructions
✅First, make your pastry. Place the flour, baking powder, and salt into a food processor and give a quick mix.
✅Add in the butter and whizz until the mixture turns into breadcrumbs.
✅Add in the egg yolks and mix, then, with the motor on, add in the water a bit at a time until the dough comes together into a ball. You may not need all the water.
✅Take the pastry out of the food processor, wrap it in clingfilm or wax paper and refrigerate for an hour.
✅Preheat your oven to 180C/350F (fan). Take two large baking trays and sprinkle them with some flour.
✅Take your pastry out of the fridge and roll it out on a floured surface until you get a thickness you can cut, that won't tear easily. I find that's about 3mm.
✅Cut circles into the dough using a plate that is about 20-21cm (approx 8") in diameter as a template. I find that I get 3 circles out of the first lot. Then I re-roll and get 2 circles, and then I re-roll and get one final circle. You can place the circles stacked onto a plate so long as you have a sprinkling of flour between each layer.
✅In a large bowl, mix your potato, swede/rutagaba, onion, steak, salt, and pepper.
✅Take one of your pastry circles and place it onto your work surface. Place a really good handful of the meat mix onto half of the circle, leaving a 2cm border around the edge. It'll look like a lot of mixture, but it needs to be packed full.
✅Dot 1 1/2 tsp butter (from the 3 tbsp butter) on top of the meat and veg pile.
✅Take your beaten egg, and using a pastry brush, paint a little of the egg wash around the edge of the circle. This will help the pastry stick together.
✅Now, fold the other side of the pastry over the meat until the edges meet and you have a semi-circle. Seal firmly and crimp with your fingers.
✅Place your pasty onto your baking tray and make a little hole in the top using a sharp knife to let out the steam. Repeat with the remaining pasties.
✅Brush the remaining egg wash over the top of the pasties and place in the oven for 50 minutes until golden brown.
✅Take out of the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes before eating.
