Russian Meat Pies
These Russian meat pies, also called samsi, are made of crispy puff pastry and filled with deliciously seasoned meat and onions. They’re so simple and can be made in advance and baked whenever you want! They’re classically Uzbekistani cuisine, and my family makes them all the time.
Basically, you combine lamb and beef with diced white onion and spices, then marinate for a minimum of 8 hours. Trust me, it’s worth it. Then, you divide a puff pastry sheet into four squares and fill with the meat, before wrapping it up into a circle. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle on sesame seeds and flaky salt before baking!
The best part of this recipe (well, aside from how good they taste) is how much of it can be made in advance. Make the meat a few days in advance, and even shape the pies in advance. If you want, after you shape the pies you can individually wrap them in plastic wrap and place into the freezer to bake whenever you want (you do need to defrost first in the fridge though).
These are great for lunch or dinner, or even a satisfying snack if you want! Great for on-the-go and less of a hassle than sandwiches sometimes.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lamb leg
- 1.5 lbs flank/skirt steak
- 5 medium yellow onions, diced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp coriander
- 3 boxes ready made puff pastry (6 sheets)
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp water
- sesame seeds
- flaky salt
Instructions
- Using a meat grinder on it’s largest setting, grind the lam and steak through. It’s important that it’s in fairly big pieces (about 1/2″ pieces) or the pies will be dry. Also, make sure you grind in a little bit of fat so the pies are extra moist.
- Add in the diced onions, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, and mix until entirely combined and fragrant. Marinate in the fridge at least 8 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Take one box of your puff pastry out of the fridge and take off the plastic. Divide the two sheets into 8 squares, and spoon on about 1/3 of the meat mixture between each square.
- Shape the pies by bringing together the four corners on top of the meat and pinch the edges. Shape it in your hands until its circular and set aside. Repeat for the remaining 7 then place all of them in the fridge while you work. The recipe makes 24 pies, you can make 8 or 16 at a time and leave the rest for later. The meat can stay in the fridge for no more than a week.
- When ready, combine the egg and water and brush a little on each pie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt, then bake for 40-45 minutes until golden. Enjoy hot or cold!
Here are some pictures to show how to shape them:
Russian Meat Pies
Equipment
- meat grinder
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs lamb leg
- 11/2 lbs skirt or flank steak
- 5 medium yellow onions, diced
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tbsp coriander
- 3 boxes ready made puff pastry or 6 sheets
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp water
- flaky salt
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Cut the lamb and beef into chunks. Push them through a meat grinder on the biggest possible attachment or use a knife to cut the meat into small pieces.
- In a bowl, add the meat, diced onions, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and mix super well. Marinate for at least 8 hours and up to a week.
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Working with two sheets of puff pastry at a time, cut them each into 4 squares to have 8 squares total. Divide about 1/3 of the meat between them, about 1/4 cup per pie.
- Bring together the four corners of the pastry on top of the meat. Pinch the edges and shape in your hand until it is circular. See pictures above.
- Chill in the fridge while you make the rest of the pies. The recipe makes 24, but you can make 4, 8, 12, or 16 as you need.
- Combine the egg and the water, then brush each individual pie and sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky salt. Bake for 40-45 minutes and enjoy!