Cornish Pasty (British Hand Pie with Beef and Root Vegetables)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 75 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 8
About this dish
Cornish pasty is a traditional British hand pie from Cornwall, made by sealing raw diced beef, potatoes, rutabaga, and onion inside a sturdy pastry of flour, butter, salt, and water.
Read more
The filling is not pre-cooked before sealing, so the meat and vegetables steam inside the crust during baking. Their juices collect and concentrate inside the sealed shell, forming a rich, savory interior gravy that makes the pasty deeply satisfying without any additional sauce. Crimping the edges tightly is essential to contain this liquid during the forty-to-forty-five-minute bake at 200 degrees Celsius. Cutting the filling into pieces no larger than about one centimeter ensures everything cooks evenly through. An egg wash brushed over the surface before baking develops a glossy, amber crust. The pasty originated as a practical working meal for Cornish tin miners, who held the pastry by its thick crimped edge to avoid contaminating the food with dirty hands, then discarded that portion when finished.
Ingredients
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Rub 140 g butter into 350 g flour with part of the salt until the mixture looks sandy.
Add cold water little by little just until it holds together, then chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- 2Heat
Cut the 300 g beef, 220 g potatoes, 160 g rutabaga, and 120 g onion into even pieces about 1 cm wide.
Do not leave large chunks, because the filling goes in raw and must cook through inside the pastry.
- 3Season
Season the diced beef and vegetables with the remaining salt and pepper, then toss gently.
Avoid squeezing or overmixing, which can draw out too much liquid before the pasties are sealed.
- 4Step
Divide the chilled dough and roll each piece into a circle about 3 to 4 mm thick.
Place the filling on one side only, leaving a 2 cm clean border so the edge can seal tightly.
- 5Step
Fold the dough over the filling, press out trapped air, and crimp the edge firmly into a half-moon shape.
Beat the egg and brush it evenly over the surface for a glossy crust.
- 6Heat
Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the pasties when the crust is deep golden and the base feels firm, then rest them for 5 minutes before serving hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Raw diced beef, potato, and rutabaga seal inside sturdy pastry without precooking, steaming to tenderness in the oven.
- Finish cue
- Remove the pasties when the crust is deep golden and the base feels firm, then rest them for 5 minutes before serving hot.
- Avoid this
- Do not leave large chunks, because the filling goes in raw and must cook through inside the pastry.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
75min, 8 ingredients
Category median
55min, 8 ingredients
Based on 248 recipes
Use-up ingredient planner
Turn these ingredients into two more meals
The overlap excludes basic seasonings. Open the next recipe and your selected dishes will stay with you.
Swedish Meatballs
flour, butter
Japanese Korokke (Crispy Panko Potato and Beef Croquette)
flour, beef chuck
Corned Beef Hash
butter, potatoes