EASY BEEF AND POTATO PIES

I don't have a photo to post with this recipe (my camera charger went into hiding for the holidays!) but it's so good and easy that I want to share it anyway! It was originally Martha Stewart's recipe but I made a few little changes (among those: leaving out the 1/2 cup of golden raisins).  I am giving you my edited version here. Also, if you don't want to pay the $4 for a box of frozen puff pastry, I think they'd be really good with pie crust dough (just watch the cooking time). But I do love the light, flakiness of puff pastry! So, here it is...

GROUND BEEF & POTATO PUFF PASTRY PIES

(BY MARTHA STEWART)

• INGREDIENTS:
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced 
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1-1/2 tsp. smoked paprika,  plus more for sprinkling on tops
• 1 medium potato (Yukon Gold is best), diced (about 1-1/4 cup)  NOTE: I used up a previously boiled potato and it turned out fine.
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed

• DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 minutes. Stir in paprika and potato; season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from heat.
• On a piece of parchment paper, gently roll out puff pastry sheets to smooth creases (by hand, not with a rolling pin). Cut each sheet into 4 squares. Place 1/3 cup beef mixture in center of each pastry square. Brush edges lightly with water, fold over filling to form triangles, press to seal, and sprinkle lightly with smoked paprika. Transfer to two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets and bake until pastry is golden and puffed, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Cook's Note

Fill these pies the day before and refrigerate in a single layer, covered, until ready to bake.