The concept of a hand pie is popular all around the world, from British pasties to Latin American empanadas to Haitian beef patties. Each one has the same core concept: a filling (often of meat) is wrapped in dough and then baked. In that same vein these Scottish hand pies, called forfar bridies locally, have a filling of beef and onions and a simple, homemade flavor that will have you reaching for a second or even a third pie. The lore of the unusual name isn’t fully known, but they hail from Forfar in Angus, a couple hours north of Edinburgh.
To make these little pies the best dough wrappers are the empanada discs that are sold in the freezer section of the grocery. And, for the best taste and texture make sure to get the ones that are made specifically for baking.
Forfar Bridies (Scottish Hand Pies)
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons beef or vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 (16 oz) package puff pastry or 1 (14 oz) package empanada baking discs, thawed
- 1 egg white
