Da Yooper Pastie

Pie dough ingredients: (Cheater Crust, look below)

  • 3 cups of flour
  • 1 1/4 cups butter Crisco or regular Crisco shortening
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 1 tsp. salt   

Mix the flour and salt.  Then cut in shortening with pastry blender or (use two knives cutting against each other).  Keep cutting in until it all seems to be cut in together.  Now put in the water all at once and mix with a spoon, until you have a clump of dough that stays together.  Now this dough will be very moist, so you can now work just enough flour in with your hands to make it a pliable and soft dough.  Hint: Use a lot of flour when rolling, also.

Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of 1/4 inch cubed steak (round, sirloin, ground chuck or sirloin etc..)
  • 4 cups of 1/2 inch cubed pealed potatoes
  • 1 cup of 1/4 inch (or chopped) onions
  • 1/2 cup of
  • 1/4 inch cubed rutabaga (carrot can be substituted)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix it all in a large bowl. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll out one at a time into a 12" circle about 1/4 inch thickness (use lots of flour on your rolling surface)  fill each with one hefty size cup of the filling and place 1/2 TBLS. of oleo on the top. 

Now fold the crust over the mixture.  (It now is a half circle).    Roll the excess edge up to meet the form of the ingredients, you should have by now a half moon shape.  Make about four 1/4 inch slits on the top with a sharp knife. 

Gently pick up the pastie with a spatula and place on a large cookie sheet and cook them in pre-heated oven,  for 1 hour at 375 - 400 degrees F.

How do I eat a pastie? 

I cut it in half, pick it up and eat it like a sandwich and daub catchup on every bite!!! (Yooper Style )

Optional hint for eating:   Break -up on plate and serve with heated canned gravy. (Pilgrim Style)

Serve with a nice leaf lettuce salad or coleslaw Or just a Dill Pickle!  Enjoy!   

Cheater Crust:

1 box of "Pillsbury" pre-made pie crusts. (Contains 2 pre-rolled round crusts) Note: The cheaper "store brand" ones were often "thinner", and tended to melt and fall apart. Some of the "store brand" ones worked just fine. ( American Fair worked for me) (Trial and error).

Get the ones folded up in a box, NOT the ones which come frozen in the pie tin. Let the crusts "warm up" to room temperature before unfolding, and they're not as likely to "crack". 

This is handy if you want just 2-4 pasties. 2=(1 package) 4=(2 packages) of crust.etc. More expensive but may be worth the ease of making pie crust.


Printable PDF Here


I suggest a good mixer, one that has dough beaters for those who have trouble mixing pie crusts.    Hamilton Beach 6-Speed Classic Stand Mixer