Fried Potato Hand Pies
These are the pan-fried pies with a crackly bronze crust and soft mashed potato inside, sweetened by plenty of slowly browned onion. We keep the dough lean, made with just water and oil, so it rolls thin, stays supple and soaks up surprisingly little fat in the pan. As a bonus, the whole recipe is vegan.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Rest
- 1 h 25 min
- Total
- 3 h
- Servings
- 16
- Level
- Medium
- Per serving
- 245 kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
For frying
Makes: 16 hand pies
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Mix the dough
In a bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then pour in the warm water and oil. Knead for about 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and stretchy, with no dry patches.
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Step 2: Let it rise
Cover and leave in a warm spot for 60 minutes, until doubled. Lean doughs rise a little more slowly than enriched ones, so go by volume rather than the clock.
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Step 3: Make the filling
Cover the potatoes with cold salted water and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Meanwhile, cook the onions in the oil over medium heat for 10–12 minutes until evenly golden. Drain the potatoes, mash them with the onions and all their oil, season well, stir in the dill and let cool.
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Step 4: Portion the dough
Oil your hands, divide the dough into 16 pieces of about 48 g and roll into balls. Cover with a towel and rest for 10 minutes.
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Step 5: Shape the pies
Flatten each ball into a 10 cm round, add a heaped tablespoon of mash and pinch the edges tightly closed. Lay the pie seam-side down and press it gently to 1.5–2 cm thick so it fries evenly.
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Step 6: Final proof
Leave the shaped pies under a towel for 15 minutes to puff slightly.
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Step 7: Heat the oil
Pour oil into a deep frying pan to a depth of 1.5 cm and heat over medium to 170 °C (340 °F). No thermometer? Drop in a scrap of dough: it should sizzle at once and float up within 2–3 seconds without browning instantly.
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Step 8: Fry in batches
Fry the pies seam-side down, 4–5 at a time, for 2–3 minutes per side until bronze and crisp. Don’t crowd the pan, or the oil cools and the pies turn greasy.
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Step 9: Drain and serve
Transfer to a rack or paper towels and let them sit for 5 minutes. They are at their best warm, while the crust still crackles.
Tips & variations
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Tip
If the pies darken fast but the dough inside is still raw, the oil is too hot. Turn the heat down and give it a few minutes to settle.
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Variation
Stir 150 g of fried mushrooms or a handful of crisp pork cracklings into the mash. The cracklings make the pies no longer vegan, of course.
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Tip
Save a cup of the potato cooking water: if the mash turns out too stiff, loosen it with a few spoonfuls.
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Storage
Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a dry covered frying pan for 2 minutes per side to bring back the crunch.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 16 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 245 kcal | 3,920 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 80 g |
| Fat | 10 g | 160 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g | 544 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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