Hand-Cut Skirt Steak Pasty in Flaky Dripping Pastry

Method

1. Rub the cold butter and dripping into the flour and salt with your fingertips, leaving some pea-sized pieces of fat. Stir in the cold water with a fork until it clumps, wrap and chill for 20 min. Strong flour has more gluten, so the pastry holds the weight of the filling without tearing.

   Add in this stepStrong white bread flour 250 gSalt (for the pastry) ½ tspUnsalted butter, cold and diced 70 gBeef dripping, cold 50 gIce-cold water 75 ml

2. Roll the pastry into a long rectangle, three times as long as it is wide, fold it in three like a letter, turn it 90 degrees, roll and fold in three again. Wrap and chill for 30 min. These folds flatten the pieces of fat into thin layers that bake up flaky.

3. Cut the skirt across the grain into 1 cm pieces, removing any tough membrane. Shave the potato and swede into thin 1 cm slivers, chop the onion and strip the thyme leaves from the stalks. Wash your hands and tools straight after handling raw meat.

   Add in this stepBeef skirt (raw) 240 gFloury potatoes 180 gSwede (rutabaga) 100 gOnion 80 gFresh thyme leaves 1 tsp

4. Heat the oven to 200 °C (180 °C fan). Divide the pastry into Ø 22 cm ×2, roll each into a 4 mm thick circle and chill for 5 minutes; resting stops the pastry shrinking in the oven.

5. On one half of each circle, layer the swede and half the potato with a little salt and both peppers, then the onion, skirt and thyme, season again and cover with the rest of the potato. Put the knob of butter on top. Brush the edge with water, fold over, press well to seal and crimp with at least 20 tight twists.

   Add in this stepSalt (for the filling) 1 tspGround white pepper ½ tspCoarsely ground black pepper ½ tspButter (for inside the pasty) 20 g

6. Mix the yolk and cream and brush the pasties twice, sprinkle with a little flaky salt and cut a steam hole. Put them on 30×40 cm ×1 lined tray(s) and chill for 10 min; cold pastry keeps a sharp crimp that won't slump in the oven.

   Add in this stepEgg yolk 1Double cream 1 tbspFlaky sea salt 2 pinch

7. Bake (oven) at 200 °C for 20 min, then lower to 170 °C (150 °C fan) and bake for 30 min more, turning the tray once for even colour. They're done when a thermometer in the steam hole reads at least 75 °C and a skewer slides easily into the potato.

   oven

8. Move to a wire rack and leave for 10 min, so the base stays crisp and the juices settle into a thick gravy.