good morning sunshine … Breakfast Sausage Hand Pies

For a few summers, I worked my friend Pete’s fruit stand at the Green City Farmer’s Market every Wednesday and Saturday morning. It was an early start, the market opens at 7am, and not being much of a morning person it took me a while to get rolling. Once we got the stand set up and I got my bearings, I was usually looking for something to eat before the big crowds rolled in with their double wide strollers and large dogs who liked to pee on our sandwich board signs. Oh joy. You need some sustenance to deal with that. My standard go-to breakfast, one I really looked forward to, was from Hoosier Mama a fantastic pie company in the city. On the back of their checkered tables was a large black plastic warmer thing. If you were smart, you knew this is where they kept the amazing savory hand pies nice and toasty. While there were always a few varieties, the breakfast sausage hand pies were my favorite and apparently others too because they sold out fast. A warm flaky pastry filled with herby breakfast sausage, I could inhale 42 of these things in no time if given the opportunity.

I was told that they only sell the hand pies at the market and not in the shops. This is important information. A tender but flaky pastry encasing a sage and onion breakfast sausage, they are one of the finer things in life and I’ve been craving them to no end lately. The winter farmers markets are sporadic and I haven’t been able to hit the stand in months. I was jonesing bad for a damn hand pie. Then I remembered I had their book, Hoosier Mama Book of Pie. Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner? There it was, in all it’s glory, on page 292. The very recipe I craved. Wait, what? I could make these anytime I want? This was very good, and potentially very dangerous, news. The opportunity to eat 42 in one sitting was now a very real possibility.

The filling is simple enough; breakfast sausage, lots of onion, fresh sage. While Hoosier Mama uses some very nice sausage from a heritage farm, I used (cough, cough) Jimmy Dean and it was good in the way only Jimmy Dean can be. The sausage is barely cooked through and mixed with very finely diced raw onion, a little fresh parsley, a good hit of fresh sage and a healthy dose of grated parmesan. I was eating it by the spoonful and had to forcibly stop myself lest I not have enough to fill the pastry rounds. Fair warning: it’s a legitimate hazard.

The dough is simple and delicious, both flaky and tender at the same time, made with basic ingredients and I threw a bit of pepper into the mix just because. It’s easily made in a standing mixer but the trick is to roll it out immediately into thin sheets between pieces of plastic wrap and chill for a few hours until firm. Then and only then do you cut out the rounds. That is my #1 rule with pastry dough: roll warm, cut cold. If you don’t do this, immediately change your ways.

Filling the pastry rounds is fairly easy … until the dough warms up. It can be a bit persnickedty. If this happens, don’t try to muscle through. Just pop it into the fridge until it’s cold and firm again; even a half hour will help immensely. A little egg wash to seal, a fat Tablespoon of filling and some pinching of the edges and you’re good to go. The hand pies can be baked now or frozen until later. Though they bake better directly from the freezer, I like to do both. A few right now and a nice freezer stash for when the random sausage hand pie emergency hits. Like 6am when you’re driving to the farmers market with a cobweb filled brain, gearing up to clean signs large dogs have favored throughout the day.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: PRETTY GOOD. These things are delicious and just project-y enough. There’s just something about rolling dough that makes me feel good. Whip these up for brunch, a long weekend or just for fun. Having a dozen or two in the freezer is a god damn bonanza. Bake off one or bake off a dozen, either way you win. I’m thinking these would be great road trip food. Is that weird? I know I would love to have one or two tucked into a napkin as I’m cruising down the highway, crumbs be damned. That’s what Dirt Devils are for.

Seven years ago: Khachpuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
Six years ago: Pretzel Rolls
Five years ago: Guinness Stout Floats
Four years ago: Liege Sugar Waffles
Three years ago: Masala Chai
Two years ago: Guinness Crème Anglaise
Last year: Flourless Chocolate Cookies

BREAKFAST SAUSAGE HAND PIES – minimally adapted from the Hoosier Mama Book of Pie
makes 2 dozen

for the cream cheese dough:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

for the filling:
1 pound breakfast sausage
1 small yellow onion, finely minced (½ cup)
2 teaspoons fresh sage, finely minced
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, finely minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

for the egg wash:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water

1. For the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended.
2. Add the flour and mix until combined.
3. Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to about 1/16” thick.
4. Chill at least 2 hours or overnight. Note: at this point, you can freeze the dough, tightly wrapped, up to two months though it might be easier, space-wise, to freeze the dough in smaller square packets or partially rolled into sheets. Defrost, allow to come to room temp, roll and chill again in sheets until firm.
5. For the filling: In a large skillet over medium-low heat, sauté the sausage until cooked through but not browned, breaking up large clumps (a potato masher works great for this).
6. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
7. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
8. Refrigerate until very cold, at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
9. Assembly: Preheat oven to 400°F
10. Remove one sheet of dough from the refrigerator and with a round 4” biscuit cutter – cut circles. Set the scraps aside. Chill the rounds.
11. Continue in the same manner with the remaining dough sheets, taking care to keep everything cold. Gather the scraps and reroll. If the dough starts to warm, pop it in the refrigerator.
12. For the egg wash, beat together the egg and water.
13. Remove 2-4 pastry circles from the refrigerator at a time and place on a clean work surface.
14. Brush half of each pastry circle with the egg wash.
15. Place a heaping Tablespoon of the filling mixture on one half of each circle, leaving a ½” border.
16. Fold the dough over and press lightly around the filling to seal.
17. With a fork, press down along the dough edge to crimp and seal. Continue with the remaining circles.
18. You can bake at this point or the hand pies may be frozen, unbaked, for longer storage. They actually bake better if frozen for at least a few hours. To freeze, arrange hand pies in a single layer on a parchment lined sheet pan and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer Ziploc bag for longer storage, writing the baking instructions on the outside of the bag.
19. To bake: line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silpat mats and preheat the oven to 400°F.
20. Place the hand pies on the prepared sheet pans 1” apart and brush with the egg wash.
21. Bake 25-30 minutes rotating the pans halfway through until golden brown. The hand pies actually bake better if they come directly from the freezer.
22. Serve warm. Hand pies are best enjoyed within a few hours of baking.

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