Canning's WORLD FAMOUS Cornish Pasty

This recipe has been in my family forever.  My mother and father used to make these when I was just a tadpole and I can remember as if it were yesterday the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen and the mouth watering that followed.  For this blog I made these on 2-12-11.

These pasties are a meal in themselves.  I'm a big guy (6'3" and around 200 lbs) and 1/2 a pasty fills me and keeps me going for hours.  These refrigerate well and will last for several days in the fridge.  They are also delicious cold.  We serve ours with a simple brown gravy.  YUM YUM !!

KEY POINT:  All great chefs scream out to use the Cheapest cuts of meat out there.  The flavor of these cuts is exceptional and if prepared right they shine!  Why spend $10 a pound on T-Bone steak to put into a simple dish such as this.  Save those expensive cuts for grilling.

My Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs beef roast (I used tri-tip on this one however a chuck roast or round works well)
2 large russet potatoes
1/2 large yellow onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic (2 cloves in a garlic press)
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Pie Dough (You can use any pre-made pie dough or make your own).  We often use the Pillsbury round pie dough rolls available in most markets)  This time I made my own from a pie dough recipe I use fairly often.  I prefer making my own simply because I add some cold butter to the dough at the end, pounding it in so the crust is quite a bit more flaky, similar to a puff pastry.

My Method:
Cube your meat into 1/2" pieces, removing as much FAT as possible.  Nothing tastes worse in a pasty than a big wad of gristle or fat.  BLECH !
Dice your onion into 1/2" pieces.  Place the meat, onions and garlic into a sautee pan and brown well.  When the meat is brown add 1/2 cup hot water to the pan, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Then remove the lid and simmer until the liquid is gone.  Remove the contents into a bowl to cool.

Peel your potatoes, then on a mandolin or food processor slice your potatoes into thin (1/8" or so) slices.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Pull out a cookie sheet (I use an Air-Bake Sheet because it does not scorch the bottom of your pasty).
Roll out your dough (9-10" round).  Place the potatoes on 1/2 of the dough, leaving about 1/2" at the edge for crimping.  Add your meat to the top of the potatoes (1/2 lb).  Sprinkle about a tbsp of flour over the meat.  Then about 1/2 tsp salt and pepper and three small spots of butter (about 1/2 tsp each) to the top of the pile.  Carefully fold over the 1/2 dough that has nothing on it and then crimp the edges to make a large (turnover shaped pie).  Punch a few air holes with a fork in the top.  Repeat this for the 2nd pasty.  Then brush some melted butter over the top of the pastry thinly.  Place in the oven for 1 hour.

 We serve these with brown gravy.  Any type will work, yes, even the packaged stuff.  DELICIOUS !!