Scotch Meat Pies

Dough:

400 g Flour
7 g (3/4 teaspoon) Salt
170 ml Water
90 g Butter
100 g Lard


Mix the flour and the salt together. Bring the water to a boil. Put the butter and the lard in the water. Heat until all the butter and the lard are melted. Pour the hot mixture into the flour and mix well. Refrigerate several hours, or overnight.

Roll out the dough. Place it into about 4 small pie molds. Cut to fit. Make 4 tops out of the dough, with small holes in the center to let out the steam when they are baked.

Meat Filling:

500 g Ground Meat (Lamb, Pork, or Beef with about 20% Fat)
1 Medium Onion
1 teaspoon Ground Mace
1 teaspoon Italian herbs
2 Cups Beef or Chicken Broth.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brown the meat. Add the herbs and spices. Pour the broth over the meat. Let it heat up, then simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the broth into a clean bowl. Let the meat mixture cool a little. Place the meat into the prepared pie shells. Cover with the tops. Brush with egg glaze before baking. Bake at 375F for about 40 minutes.

For variety, you can add a small carrot, turnip, or potatoes to the meat filling too. Make sure you cut the vegetables into small pieces and cook them well.

Make a simple gravy with the left over stock using corn starch. Season it to taste. Serve the hot pies with the gravy. A side of mashed potatoes and vegetables would go well with this meal.

Adapted from a John Kirkwood recipe