Name: Cornish Pasties

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef (or more)
• 2 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 medium rutabaga (aka yellow turnip)
• 3 boxes pie crust mix
• optional - butter or margarine

Instructions:

• Dice the beef, potatoes, onion and rutabaga. Mix them together and set aside. (You can add salt and pepper if you want. I generally use a little pepper.) [45 min]
• Prepare pie crust dough according to instructions on the box (or make it from scratch if you prefer). [15 min]
• Roll out dough into 9 to 10 inch circles, 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, on a floured board.
• Cover half of each circle with meat and vegetable mixture. For increased moistness, put a pat of butter or margarine on top of the mixture.
• Fold the other side over the mixture, and pinch the edges of the dough together. With a fork, puncture the upper crust a few times.
• Repeat the three previous steps until all the dough and filling is used. When done, you should have half circles of crust, stuffed with the meat and vegetable mix. [60 min]
• Bake at 325º F for about 1 hour (or 400º for 45 min)

Comments: Serve with ketchup and salad.
1/13/2013 - Pie crust ran out after six pasties.
12/27/2013 - Had a lot of filling left after the pie crust ran out after seven pasties; Probably should use at least 3 boxes of pie crust mix. Spray the non-teflon sheet to make it easier to clean afterwards.
11/26/2014 - I used 1.1 lbs of ground beef, 2 baking potatoes, 1 3/4 onion, a rutabaga that looked like medium size, and 3 boxes of pie crust mix. The filling overfilled the large plastic mixing bowl. I made 12 pasties and had enough leftover filling for maybe 4 more. Chopping took a full hour. The first batch of 5 pasties went in the oven after 1:45, the second batch of 6 went in after 2:12, and the last little one went in after 2:20. It took about 2:45 to prepare the meal, including making salad after all the pasties were in the oven.
2/18/2017 - I used 1 lb of ground turkey, 2 Idaho potatoes, one onion, a 2.1 lb rutabaga, and 3 boxes of pie crust mix. The filling overflowed the largest ceramic bowl and was mostly rutabaga. I made 11 1/2 pasties and had filling left over. I chop finely to avoid puncturing the crust. The chopping and mixing took about 1 hour 20 minutes. I started filling the crusts after about 1 1/2 hour. The first batch of 6 pasties went into the oven 34 minutes later. I began the process at 3 pm and we sat down to eat at about 6:15, after the second batch came out of the oven.
4/15/2017 - I used a 1.1 lb rutabaga, 1 lb of ground beef, an Idaho potato and two medium red potatoes, an onion, and 3 boxes of pie crust mix. To make the pie crust, I used 15 tablespoons of water. This made exactly 11 pasties.
4/8/2018 - I used a 1.5 lb rutabaga, 1.1 lb of ground beef, two Idaho potatoes, an onion, a teaspoon of black pepper, and 3 boxes of pie crust mix. The mix fit into the 19 cup Rubbermaid container. I used 14 tablespoons of water with the pie crust mix. It took 2 hours before I got the first batch in the oven.
5/2/2020 - I chopped the rutabaga and 3 medium-sized potatoes into about 1/4-inch pieces. That took a little over an hour. For seasoning, I used 1 teaspoon each of pepper and salt substitute. I got 11 pasties with the filling and 3 boxes of pie crust mix.
2/24/2021 - I prepared the homemade crust ahead of time. The pasty contents were 1 pound of ground beef, 2 Idaho potatoes weighing 1.5 pounds, 1 pound of rutabaga, and a half pound of onions. The big yellow plastic bowl was large enough. I made 10 pasties. I started at 3:15 and the first batch of five was done at 5:55. The last batch finished at 6:30. I used parchment paper on which to roll the dough. There was less mess than using flour on the board, but the paper slid a lot so that did not work well.
To serve leftover pasties that had been frozen, I defrosted them in the refrigerator for a day or so and then heated them for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes in the microwave.
3/23/2022 - I used a 1 1/2 lb rutabaga, and 2 Russet and one red potato totalling 1 1/2 lb. I made a hybrid crust, using a quarter of the homemade recipe, using butter in place of shortening and a whole egg, with three boxes of mix. Because of time constraints, I prepared the dough in the morning. I also chopped the rutabaga the previous day. I made 11 full-sized pasties, one tiny one, and had filling left over that could have made two more, had I had enough crust.
2/27/2023 - I used a 1.5 lb rutabaga, two potatoes weighing 1.4 lbs, 1.3 lb of ground beef, and homemade pie crust. It took nearly 40 minutes to prepare the filling. It then took a little over 45 minutes to prepare four pasties and get them into the oven. The second group of seven pasties was ready to go in when the first group finished. I baked each batch at 400º for 45 minutes. When I ran out of pie crust, I still had enough filling for at least one more pasty.
2/13/2024 - The rutabaga was 1.9 lb, the potato 1.7 lb, ground beef 1.2 lb, and onion 0.5 lb. I used 3 boxes of Betty Crocker pie crust mix. The filling nearly overflowed the yellow Rubbermaid container, and I have about enough filling for maybe 3 more pasties. I started at 2:35 PM and the second batch was done at 6:23 PM.

Source: my mother. Here are her original instructions.

Story behind recipe:
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was a center for mining copper and iron. Immigrants came from many places for the work. The Cornish miners brought this dish with them. The miner could easily carry it into the mine and have a complete meal in one. It is said that they would reheat the pasty on a shovel held over a fire. Miners of other nationalities adopted this dish. It migrated to the surface, so when the mines closed, people continued to eat pasties. Most towns in the Upper Peninsula still have a pasty shop or two.

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