Description
Buttery, flaky hand pies filled with flavorful lamb persillade. Perfect party appetizers!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- Butter pie crust
- 1 lbs (454 g) cooked persillade lamb (diced)
- 1/2 cups (118 ml) persillade
- 1 large egg mixed with 1 tbsp water Egg wash
- 2 1/2 cups (592 ml) all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 cups (237 ml) 2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 6 tbsp ice water
- 3 to 4 lbs (1362 to 1816 g) Butterflied leg of lamb
- 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups (946 ml) parsley leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Pie Crust
- Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.
- Add butter; pulse until a coarse meal forms.
- Gradually blend in enough ice water to form moist clumps.
- Gather dough into a ball; divide in half.
- Form dough into 2 balls; flatten into disks.
- Wrap each in plastic; chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- Lamb
- Heat oven to 425°F (218°C).
- Trim excess fat from lamb.
- In a food processor, make persillade by puréeing olive oil, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper.
- Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper on both sides, then turn so the side that had been on the bone, the one with the more irregular surface, is facing up, with the wider end facing you.
- Smear the surface of lamb with most of the persillade mixture, then fold it in half (there will be a kind of natural hinge) with persillade on the inside.
- Save the remaining persillade and set aside.
- Put lamb in a roasting pan and cook for 35 to 40 minutes for rare meat, or until an instant thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 130°F (54°C), or, for medium rare, 135°F (57°C).
- Let the meat rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
- Assembly and baking
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C) and prepare two sheet pans lined with Silpats or parchment paper.
- Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness and stamp out with a 3-inch square cookie cutter.
- Re-roll leftover dough and repeat until you have 24 squares.
- On half of the pie squares, spread about 1/2 teaspoon of persillade, leaving a 1/4-inch border.
- Top with 1/4 teaspoon of cooked lamb.
- Cover each pie with an unseasoned pie crust and use a floured fork to press down firmly around the edges.
- Set the pies on the prepared sheet pan with a 1/2-inch space and brush with an egg wash.
- Sprinkle with large flaked sea salt (optional: dried oregano and sea salt).
Notes
- For easier handling, chill the pie dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
- To ensure the lamb is cooked to your liking, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
- Leftover hand pies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Oven-Baking
- Cuisine: French-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 25
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 80