Muldoon’s Pasty Recipe Made The Michigan Way
Muldoon's Pasty Recipe is a classic Michigan-style savory meal wrapped in a sturdy pastry shell. This recipe uses lean beef, potatoes, rutabaga, onion, and simple seasonings folded into homemade pastry dough and baked until golden. Designed as a complete handheld meal, it fits lunch or dinner and works well for make-ahead cooking. The steps are clear and practical for home kitchens, with tips on shaping, baking, and reheating pasties while keeping the traditional flavor and texture people expect from Muldoon’s style.
- Prep time
- 40 min
- Cook time
- 55 min
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold butter, cubed
- ¾ to 1 cup cold water
- 1 egg, beaten (for brushing)
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced rutabaga
- 1 cup chopped Yukon potatoes
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ teaspoon minced sage
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- 1
I start with a large mixing bowl and add the flour and salt. Cold butter goes in next. I cut it into the flour using my fingers until it looks crumbly, with small butter bits still visible. Cold water goes in slowly, just until the dough comes together. I press it into a disk, wrap it, and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. That rest time makes rolling easier
- 2
In another bowl, I mix the beef, rutabaga, potatoes, onion, parsley, sage, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. I mix gently—no squeezing. Overworking the filling leads to dense pasties
- 3
I divide the dough into six equal pieces. Each one gets rolled into a circle about 8 inches wide. I place a generous scoop of filling on one side of each circle and top it with a few butter pieces. That butter melts into the beef as it bakes
- 4
I fold the dough over the filling and crimp the edges tightly. This seal matters. It keeps the juices inside the pastry shell. I brush the tops with beaten egg and cut a small slit to let steam escape
- 5
The pasties bake at 375°F for 50–55 minutes until golden. The kitchen smells like beef, butter, and comfort by the 40-minute mark. I let them rest for 10 minutes before serving.