New Zealand-Style Beef & Cheddar Pies
Author Notes: Every gas station I went to in New Zealand carried a wide range of warm hand pies ready to be picked up and eaten on the go, no utensils required. You’ll find them in hot cases near the checkout counters. Flavors are a-plenty, ranging from bacon and egg to steak and cheese, butter chicken, chicken and mushroom, smoked fish, and my all-time favorite—mince and cheese (beef and cheese).
Note: You can save the puff pastry scraps and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar or Parmesan cheese & fresh thyme to make a tasty snack.
—Miranda Keyes
Makes: 12
Prep time: 3 hrs
Cook time: 45 min
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1
tablespoon olive oil
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1
small onion, finely diced
-
1
clove garlic, minced
-
1
pound lean ground beef
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1/2
teaspoon salt
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3
tablespoons flour
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1 1/2
cups beef stock
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1
teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
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2
450-gram packages pre-rolled butter puff-pastry, thawed in the fridge
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3/4
cup (100g) aged white cheddar cheese, finely diced
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1
egg
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring often until tender and starting to brown on the edges, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add ground beef to pan and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 5-6 minutes.
- Stir in salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Sprinkle flour over beef and cook, 1 minute. Pour in beef stock and bring to a boil, scraping all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until gravy has reduced and thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
- Scrape beef mixture into a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, this will take at least 1-2 hours. The filling can easily be made the day before.
- Remove puff pastry from fridge. Roll sheets to 1/8-inch thick. Cut puff pastry into twelve 4-inch rounds and twelve 3-inch rounds. Pre-mark where you will cut each round as you will have just enough dough for all the rounds. Place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and let chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin. Place larger puff pastry rounds in the base of each muffin tin, pressing along the sides so they are flush with the bottom and sides of the tin. The dough should slightly overlap the rims, stretch dough slightly if needed.
- Remove the chilled beef mixture from the fridge. Stir in the diced cheese. Evenly divide filling between each pie, packing them right to the top.
- Whisk the egg in a bowl. Brush the edges of the pastry overlap with the egg mixture and top with smaller pastry rounds. Press around the edges of the pies using the tines of a fork to create a seal. Cut a small slit into the top of each pie. Use the remaining egg to brush the tops of each pie. Place the tray in the freezer to chill for 15 mins before baking.
- While the pies are chilling preheat the oven to 425° F. Bake pies for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Pie|Australian/New Zealander|Beef|Bake|Weekend Cooking|Snack
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Thank you for this! I just returned from my trip to NZ and I'm already craving mince pies lol what brand of puff pastry do you use? I've never used it before.
http://www.foodtolove.co.nz/6-of-the-best-pies-in-auckland-and-where-to-find-them-37088
I am married to New Zealander and have tried so many pie recipes! Finally one that nail it! He loved these and they were so easy!!! 5 stars!
Lucky husband. Now you need some relatives to send you New Zealand individual pie sized baking tins!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the pies Farina - lucky husband indeed, Lyndy! :)
From the Otago Peninsula, in the deep south of Aotearoa (New Zealand) I loved finding this in my emails this evening. We certainly do have 'hand held' hot pies at our petrol stations and every dairy (corner grocery store) & bakery. If you are lucky enough to be travelling in our slice of paradise, Otago you must try Jimmy's pies made in Roxburgh & 'Who ate the pies?' made in Dunedin
Hi Lyndy! How lovely to read your note here in Canada! I hope to come back and visit your slice of paradise again, it is truly one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I will try to eat many more pies if I get there, thanks for the names of spots to try out!
Questions: Since you chill in the freezer prior to baking anyway, would this freeze well uncooked for a longer period, perhaps in freezer bags? How much would you thaw prior to baking if at all? I'd love to make a huge batch and freeze some for later. Thanks!
These freeze well both baked and unbaked. I've had baked pies in my freezer for well over a month and they heat up beautifully. I wouldn't thaw them at all prior to baking if you freeze them raw. Pop them right in the oven, they may just need a bit longer baking time. Let me know how it goes!
Dufour’s
Oh my goodness!! These sound amazing!! As well as the chicken and mushroom... I’d guess that would be pretty simple to adapt this recipe to other flavors? Definitely trying it this week, albeit with some rough puff (lazy/simplifies homemade puff pastry lol)
Oh yes, definitely easy to adapt the fillings, chicken and mushroom would be delicious! Hope they went well with the rough puff!
There are so many varieties of a pie here its become an art form. Each year there is a national competition for the best commercial savoury pie. Fillings can be anything that you like; mince, mince & cheese, venison, rosemary & red wine, chicken, camenbert & cranberry jelly, chicken & mushroom....theres are just a random few...there are endless variations. When we make them at home we always precook our filling. It's important that they are not a stodgy too firm filling but have a creamy or savoury gravy type sauce. Miranda has this off pat by including the beef stock
There's a pie competition? How cool is that!
Clearly, the gas stations in the U.S. need to take note and step up!
Agreed! :)
We had these for supper last night. Delicious !!!
So glad you enjoyed them! :)
I have a similar recipe for these that uses Marmite - adds a really tasty savoriness to them as well.
Oh yes or the NZ classic vegemite - such a great addition!
Just to be clear, vegemite is Australian. NZ has Marmite. Vegemite is much sweeter.
You are most definitely right Carolyn, I lived with both Australians and Kiwis and I would always mix up their stashes of Vegemite and Marmite. Kiwi Marmite is def my favourite!
Wow, this looks amazing! One quick question, "pre-rolled butter puff-pastry" is not phyllo dough? I'm at a loss as to what type of dough to buy. Is this like a premade pie crust?
Pepperidge Farm is probably the most commonly found puff pastry sheets. Whole Foods will carry an all butter kind, and Trader Joe's has its own as well. They are usually in the frozen section next to the pie crusts.
Not the same as phyllo, btw.
Pepperidge Farm puff pastry (I just like to say that) contains no butter. My own inclination would be to use something more like pie dough, maybe with some sour cream or cream cheese- is puff pastry considered essential?
Both Dufour and Trader Joe's are all butter puff pastry. Pepperidge Farm has lots of junk in its recipe. Dufour can be found at Sprouts Farmer Markets and at Whole Foods and is available year round. It can also usually be found at gourmet markets. Trader Joe's is usually only available during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. Trader Joe's pastry is rolled thinner than Dafour and the sheets are a larger dimension.
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