Potato Beef Pocket Food

BEEF AND POTATO HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, potato, and raisins; season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• On a lightly floured work surface, gently roll out puff pastry sheets to smooth creases. Cut each sheet into 4 squares. Place 1/3 cup beef mixture in center of each pastry square. Brush edges lightly with water, fold over filling to form triangles, press to seal, and sprinkle with paprika.
• Transfer to two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets and bake until pastry is golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

IRISH BEEF HAND PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium; add cabbage and potatoes. Cook until beginning to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Add beef; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire, thyme, and 1 cup water. Cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly mash mixture with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool completely.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll each crust into a 14-inch square; cut each into 4 equal squares. Place 1/2 cup filling on one half of each square, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the filling. Brush borders with water; fold dough over filling to enclose. Crimp edges with a fork to seal. With a paring knife or scissors, cut 3 small vents in each.
• Transfer pies to 2 foil-lined rimmed baking sheets; bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.
• To Bake from Frozen: Proceed with step 3, increasing baking time to 28 to 30 minutes.

POTATO POCKETS

Steps:

• Divide the potatoes, carrots and onion equally among four pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil (about 18 in. x 12 in.). Top with butter; sprinkle with salt if desired and pepper. Bring opposite short ends of foil together over vegetables and fold down several times. Fold unsealed ends toward vegetables and crimp tightly. , Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes on each side or until potatoes are tender. Remove from grill. Open foil and sprinkle with cheese; reseal Let stand for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts.

FONDANT POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Cut off ends of russet potatoes, stand potatoes on end, and peel potatoes from top to bottom with a sharp knife to make each potato into a uniform cylinder. Cut each cylinder in half crosswise to make 6 potato cylinders about 2 inches long.
• Place potatoes into a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes to remove starch from outsides; pat dry with paper towels.
• Place a heavy oven-proof skillet (such as a cast iron skillet) over high heat. Pour in vegetable oil; heat oil until it shimmers slightly.
• Place potato cylinders with best-looking ends into the hot oil, lower heat to medium-high, and pan-fry potatoes until well-browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Flip the potatoes onto the opposite ends. As they cook, use a paper towel held with tongs to carefully blot out the oil from the skillet. Add butter and thyme sprigs to skillet.
• Pick up a thyme sprig with tongs and use it to paint butter over the top of the potatoes. Cook until butter foams and foam turns from white to a pale tan color. Season with more salt and pepper. Pour chicken stock into skillet.
• Transfer skillet to preheated oven and cook until potatoes are tender and creamy inside, about 30 minutes. If potatoes aren't tender, add 1/4 cup more stock and let cook 10 more minutes.
• Place potatoes on a serving platter and spoon thyme-scented butter remaining in skillet over potatoes. Garnish with thyme sprigs. Let cool about 5 minutes before serving.

BEEF AND POTATO PIE

Steps:

• Place a baking sheet on rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Heat oil and butter together in a large saucepan over medium heat; cook and stir onion until softened, about 10 minutes. Add beef; cook and stir until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir flour, pepper, and salt into beef mixture; cook and stir until beef is coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add wine; bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Mix beef stock, potatoes, carrots, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce into beef mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat and cool.
• Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with 1 pie crust. Spoon beef and potato filling into crust; top with remaining pie crust, crimping the 2 crusts together around the edges using a fork or your fingers. Brush top crust with milk.
• Place baking dish on the baking sheet in the oven and cook until crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.

BEEF AND SPINACH PITA POCKETS

Steps:

• In large non-stick skillet, combine first 3 ingredients.
• Cook over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble beef.
• Drain in a colander, discard drippings.
• Wipe skillet dry with a paper towel.
• Return beef mixture to skillet; add chopped spinach, spices and salt; stir well.
• Cover and cook over medium heat 3 minutes or just until spinach is wilted; remove from heat.
• Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture into each pita half lined with whole spinach leaves.
• Mix yogurt with curry powder if desired.
• Top each pita half with 1 tablespoon yogurt.

PERFECT POTATO POCKETS

Steps:

• 1. In large bowl, mix the mashed potatoes and hot water. Add cream cheese; beat until blended. Stir in the ham, onions, bacon and Cheddar cheese.
• 2. Separate crescent dough into 8 triangles. Slightly stretch corners of short side of each triangle to make longer. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon 1/3 cup potato mixture on center of each triangle. Bring corners to center over filling, overlapping ends; press gently to seal.
• 3. Mix butter and pepper sauce; brush over tops. Bake at 375°F 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

CHEESEBURGER POCKETS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. In a large skillet, cook beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain and cool. , Place 2 biscuits overlapping on a floured surface; roll out into a 5-in. oval. Place about 1/4 cup of meat mixture on 1 side. Fold a cheese slice to fit over meat mixture. Fold dough over filling; press edges with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining biscuits, meat mixture and cheese. , Place on a greased baking sheet. Prick tops with a fork. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.