Winter Pasties! No, not THOSE kind...

Samson's back for a blog entry and since winters just make him want to sleep and snuggle, it also makes one think of warm comforting food.  Like good old fashioned up north pasties!  A pastie is a Upper Peninsula traditional meat pie with potatoes and Rutabega.

So the recipe was found, and the supplies purchased!

Shortening, Flour, salt, potatoes, rutabega, sirloin, sweet onions, black pepper and garlic powder

But first the dough was made - it's a very simple dough with regards to the ingredients.  Only shortening (pure all vegetable non-hydrogenated shortening), flour, water, and salt.

The directions said to chill the dough in the fridge, so I did.  However, I think this was a mistake.  The dough turned into a solid cement-like rock.  I had to let the dough warm up quite a bit before I could work with it.

Then I chopped and mixed the filling ingredients!  RUTABEGA!

I think it's fun just to say the word!  Rutabega!

When the dough was split into 8 roughly equal sections, it was rolled out very very thin on a floured surface and filled with as much filling as I thought I could fit in.  I still had probably an entire pasty's worth of filling left over.  So, the filling ingredient list made WAY too much filling!

However, here's a photo before baking:

And then they baked.  15 mins at 450 F and then 60 minutes at 350F.

Nearing the end of their baking time, they really smelled great!

And then, it was time to get them out of the oven and enjoy!

 

Samson said they tasted just like the ones you get "up north".  OK, not really because he was just snoozing on the couch all day... but a couple of times he came in looking to see if I dropped anything!