Host An Unforgettable Book Club Party

Traditionally, the pasty originated in Cornwall and was eaten by tin miners for lunch.   They were a meal in themselves.  For our book club party, I made them into appetizers.  The meat should be put into the pastry uncooked, but since I had to brown meat for the cottage pie tart, I cooked all the meat at once.

Inspired by The Forgotten Garden

Prep:  15 minutes    Cook time:  15 minutes     Makes:  36 appetizers 

Ingredients

• 1 package frozen pastry dough, thawed
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 1/2 turnip, chopped
• 1 egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Thaw pastry dough according to directions.
3. Brown the ground beef in a medium skillet, breaking up all the big chunks.  Add the onion and cook until beef is browned and onion is translucent.  Add the parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, place the potatoes and turnip into a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and cook until tender.
5. Roll out the pastry dough and cut into circles with a 3 1/2 inch or larger round cookie cutter.  Place the filling on one side of the dough.  Fold over and moisten the joined ends with water and crimp with a fork to seal.  Brush with the egg.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Cook at 350 degrees for about about 15 minutes, until golden brown.