17 Feb 2016 Swedish Meat Pies

These are sold at the Scandinavian Festival in Junction City, Oregon.
It may be a Swedish-American recipe but regardless they are delicious.

Servings: 4-6, Prep: 20 mins, Cook: 20 mins

1-

Melt:

1 tablespoon butter 

Crumble in

1 lb ground beef 

and add:

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, dried is ok 

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 pinch ground nutmeg

salt and pepper

2 large red potatoes, grated 

Cook and stir until meat is browned and potatoes soft. Remove from heat and stir in:

2 cups shredded Jarlsberg or white cheddar cheese 

Set aside while preparing dough

Puff Pastry sheets work perfectly for the crust, a big time saver.  Roll out the pastry sheet to about 1/8 inch thick and then cut into a triangle.  Brush sour cream on the puff pastry before adding 1/3c - 1/2c meat filling.  Fold the dough over into a smaller triangle , then pinch and seal the edges with water.

See #2

OR if you want the authentic sour cream crust-

Pastry Dough: 

In med bowl mix together:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt 

Mix in with a fork, pastry cutter or processor to pea size lumps:

3/4 cup shortening or unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes 

Stir in a little at a time:

6 tablespoons sour cream

Combine until dough holds shape, add cold water little by little to make a smooth dough. Knead briefly, very briefly and divide into 6 balls. Cover or wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour or so before working the pastry again.

Roll out pastry to 1/8 inch thickness and place about 1/3-1/2 c meat mixture onto each circle.  Fold into half circle and seal with water along the edge and press with a fork. Chill again. The shock of the hot oven makes the crust flakier. 

2-

Place pies on a baking sheet to bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. 

Put leftovers in the freezer wrapped in a double layer for the next snowstorm.