Back in 2008, one of the first recipes I published on Foodie With Family was for my favorite pasties. (Pronounced PAH-steez, not PAY-steez.) Today’s Make Ahead Monday post revisits those delicious meat-and-potato hand pies and includes an updated, printable recipe plus a simple beef gravy. Read on to find out why I’m unexpectedly enthusiastic about the gravy.
Not long ago I was on the phone with my stepmom, Val, when she suddenly said, “Oh no! Beccy! I have to go!”
I asked if she was all right and she answered, “I forgot I have to pick up our pasty order from the church. They’re closing in a couple of minutes.”
All of my sympathy flew right out the window.
She was able to scoot down the road for a half dozen of the finest hand-made Yooper pasties—made the old-fashioned way by Finnish grandmothers at the church bake sale. I, meanwhile, drooled from afar.
I indulged in a little self-pity, then sprang into action. When my husband walked in I declared with authority, “There WILL be pasties. And it WILL be soon!”
Normally I don’t make proclamations, but pasties are an exception. I went full-on queen.
“You must find me a rutabaga! A big one!”
My husband gave me a puzzled look.
“…And we’ll need ketchup!” I added in my most regal tones. “You know, Val eats her pasties with gravy. I love her anyway.”
That’s when he protested. “Hey, I know you Yoopers eat ’em with ketchup and everything, but why? I’d give anything for some gravy with a pasty.”
My immediate reaction was a long, instinctive NO.
*A short cultural note: Residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula call themselves Yoopers. Yoopers love pasties—and they traditionally eat them with ketchup. If you hand someone both a gravy boat and a ketchup jar, their choice is a quick way to tell whether they’re a true Yooper.
I looked at him in disbelief. “What do you mean you want gravy?”
He replied reasonably, “I’m not saying you can’t have ketchup, but it’s a meat pie with potatoes and vegetables. What could be better on that than gravy?”
I had to admit his argument made sense. So, with some internal groaning, I made the beef gravy. I remembered family jokes about gravy-on-pasty eaters and a story my dad told about asking strangers at a county fair, “Ketchup or gravy?” When they answered “KETCHUP!” he counted them as friends.
I plated the pasties and put both the ketchup and—horror of horrors—a gravy boat on the table. My husband and kids ladled gravy over theirs. I scooped a generous amount of ketchup onto my plate, resisting the change.
Then they looked at me and said the thing I always say to them: “Aren’t you even going to try it?”
My authority felt at stake, so I relented. I took the gravy boat, poured a little onto the corner of my pasty and took a bite.
To my surprise, it was quite good. In fact, it was really good.
Rats.
I’m not abandoning my Yooper roots—I still enjoy ketchup—but I grudgingly admit the gravy will be on the table whenever I make pasties from now on.
Yoopers, look away.
In this refreshed, printable version of the old Yooper pasty post, I’ve included a straightforward beef gravy recipe. If you want to surprise a Yooper you love—or try a different way to enjoy a pasty—give it a try.
Pasties and Beef Gravy | Make Ahead Monday
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 large rutabaga and 1 small rutabaga
- 2 large carrots
- 2 medium onions
- 8 medium potatoes preferably a waxy variety like Yukon Gold or red potatoes
- 4 pounds lean ground beef
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Crust:
- enough sturdy pie dough for eight double-crust pies or eight boxes prepared refrigerated pie crusts; the original post uses a double or triple batch of a sturdy pie crust.
For the Beef Gravy:
- 4 tablespoons butter or beef drippings
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons browning sauce (optional)
- 2 cups beef stock
- a pinch of thyme and granulated onion
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Trim and halve the rutabaga, then quarter it and peel. Cut into 1/4″ slices, stack and cut into 1/4″ strips, then dice into 1/4″ cubes.
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Peel and dice the carrots, onions and potatoes to similar-sized 1/4″ cubes. Combine all the diced vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
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Add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly with your hands until evenly combined.
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Roll out dough to 8–10″ circles. Lay a circle over a pie plate or work surface with about half hanging over the edge. Mound filling on one half of the dough, pressing lightly to pack it.
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Fold the empty side of the dough over the filling, pinch the seam to seal, and crimp the edges with a fork. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and cut a couple of small vents in the top of each pasty.
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Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the crust is a deep, crispy golden color. Pasties traditionally aren’t glazed, so they won’t be shiny but should look well-browned.
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Serve immediately with beef gravy (recipe below) or let cool completely, wrap in foil and freeze for later.
To Reheat from Frozen:
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Place foil-wrapped pasty on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Open the foil and continue heating for 10 more minutes, or until hot throughout.
To Make the Gravy:
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Melt butter or pan drippings in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour and cook for at least 2 minutes until bubbling and fragrant. Slowly whisk in cold beef stock, add thyme and granulated onion, bring to a boil while stirring. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then serve hot.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition based on the actual ingredients you use with your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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