Lamb Hand Pies

Yields 12
Ingredients
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, diced
  • 1/2 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
  1. To make the crusts, use a food processor to pulse together the flour and salt just until combined, then add butter, a few pieces at a time, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Whisk together the sour cream and lemon juice in a small bowl and pulse to incorporate this in as well, then add the ice water until the dough sticks together in big lumps. (Alternatively, you can do all this by hand with a pastry cutter.) Turn out onto a floured surface and, being careful not to overwork the dough, form it into a cohesive ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare two large baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. To assemble the hand pies, divide your refrigerated dough in half and let it stand at room temperature until pliable, about 5 minutes. Roll out each half on a floured surface until about ⅛ inch thick. Cut out about six 4-inch circles out of each sheet. (I used the cover of my burr grinder–I’m sure you have something circular roughly that size around… If not, you could freehand, or cut the dough into squares instead.)
  3. Altogether, you’ll have about a dozen hand pies, plus a few more if you re-roll the dough scraps (which you’re not supposed to do so as to not overwork the dough, but I always do anyway because I hate wasting food). I ended up with 16.
  4. Drop a heaping tablespoonful of the filling into the middle of each dough circle (or square). Brush a little water on the outer edge of each circle, then fold over and press the edges firmly together, then use the tines of a fork (or your fingers) to make a decorative edge. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
  5. Combine the egg with 2 tablespoons water to make egg wash. Brush each hand pie thoroughly with the egg wash, then sprinkle a little coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper over each pie.
  6. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving. [I usually have to go to 35 minutes to get the finish I want]
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