Lamb and potato pasty
This is like a giant lamb Cornish pasty, the ultimate example of a meal inside pastry. This is based on the flavours of the classic Italian dish Abbacchio alla Cacciatora, which is a clever Roman stir-fry of diced lamb, sage, rosemary, garlic, anchovies and vinegar, often served with potatoes. The anchovies disappear and turn into a savoury condiment to season the lamb. Drink with Chianti, Brunello, Barbera or Pinot Noir.
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
For the pastry
- 350g flour
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the filling
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 800g lamb shoulder, diced 3cm
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped rosemary
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 150ml white wine
- 250ml beef stock (I used Essential Cuisine Classic Beef Jus)
- 250ml water
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To assemble
- 1 beaten egg for brushing
- 4 large floury potatoes, peeled, cut into 3cm chunks, boiled until tender in plenty of well-salted water, drained and cooled
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 8 anchovy fillets
Method:
- Place the pastry ingredients in an electric mixer with a dough hook and add just enough water to make a stiff dough.
- Knead with the dough hook for 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. This can also be done by mixing in a bowl then kneading by hand.
- Remove from the bowl, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest for 2 hours or overnight.
- For the filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the lamb, brown all over then reduce the heat, add the garlic and rosemary, and fry for 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix well. Add the wine, let it bubble then add the stock and water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour or until the lamb is tender and the mixture thick. Add more water if the mixture becomes too dry.
- Mix in the vinegar, taste and season, take off the heat and cool completely.
- To assemble, preheat the oven to 190°C. Roll the pastry out on a floured surface into an oval about 45cm by 35cm. If it springs back and will not roll out easily, it needs to relax. Leave it undisturbed for 5-10 minutes then try again.
- Spread the potatoes evenly over one side of the oval, leaving a 2cm border. Brush the border with beaten egg.
- Place the lamb mixture on top of the potatoes. Distribute the sage and anchovies evenly over the lamb. Fold the free side of the pastry over the filling and crimp or twist the edges together to make a long turnover. Brush the top with beaten egg and make 8 slits to let the steam escape. Place on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes until the pastry is well cooked and browned.
- Remove from the oven, cool a little and serve in slices.
First appeared on Stuff.co.nz. Image credit: Kieran Scott.
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