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Pork-Apple-Sage Pie Filling

1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. onions, halved and sliced thin
2 c. 1” cubed russet potatoes
1 lb breakfast sausage, e.g. C&D Family Farms
2 c. of 1” cubed firm tart apples (Granny Smith, Empire, Mutsu)
2 tbsp. grainy mustard
2 tbsp. finely chopped sage
6 tbsp. crème fraiche
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten

Prepared pie dough (recipe below)

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add onions and sauté until soft and just starting to brown. Add potatoes; reduce heat to medium low and sauté until potatoes can be pierced by a fork. Transfer potatoes and onions to a medium bowl. Place sauté pan back on heat and add sausage, breaking it up with a spatula. Sauté until it is lightly browned and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl of potatoes and onions. Add cubed apples, mustard, sage, crème fraiche, salt and pepper. Mix it to combine and let cool thoroughly before using.

This mixture can be used in hand pies or to make one 9” classic two-crust pie.

(For hand pies, follow assembly instructions under dough recipe, below)

For the 9” pie, using your favorite pie dough recipe, roll out two 14” rounds of pie dough. Place one round in a 9” pie pan, pressing it down into the bottom corners of the pan. Mound filling mixture in center of pan and smooth to the edges of the lip of the pie tin. Center the second round over the pie filling. Working around the pie, roll the edges of the two pie crusts under and tuck up onto the rim of the pie pan. Next crimp the edges between your thumb and fore-finger. Brush the top of the pie, including the crimp, with a beaten whole egg. Cut 4- to 6 steam vents and place in freezer for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (350 degrees F convection). Place pie on cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes. When done, pie crust will be baked to a medium golden brown and filling should be heated through with some bubbling through the vents.

Serve warm.

Cream Cheese Dough (for hand pies)

"We love this dough and use it all year long to make hand pies with seasonal ingredients from the farmers’ market. At the pie shop, we have an attachment for our 30qt mixer that works just like an old fashioned pastry blender. At home you may use either a stand mixer or food processor. But be careful: The dough can be rough on non-commercial mixers. The directions below apply for either."

1 1/4 lb. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1 lb. unsalted butter cut into 1” cubes
1 lb. cream cheese cut into 1” cubes
1-2 egg whites
parchment paper

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl with the cream cheese and butter and toss until the butter and cream cheese is coated with the flour mixture. Chill the entire mixture for 1 hour.

Transfer to the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer. In a food processor, pulse until the butter and cream cheese is are the size of large peas and the mixture is sandy. In a stand mixer, combine slowly by turning the machine on and off.

Next, if using a food processor, process just until the mixture forms a ball. If using a stand mixer, turn the machine to a high speed and mix for 20 to 30 seconds. Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until smooth. Divide into two balls and flatten into discs. Wrap each disk in plastic and rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.

To assemble: Take one disc of dough out of the refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Working quickly, roll dough 1/8” thick. Using a pastry cutter or jar lid, punch out the dough into 4”-5” diameter circles. Transfer to parchment -lined sheet pan or cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Repeat process with the other half of the dough, placing circles on a second cookie sheet.

Take the first cookie sheet of circles out of the freezer. Prepare a third parchment-lined cookie sheet. Transfer a few circles at a time to the new cookie sheet and brush lightly with egg whites. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of the circle. Fold the dough in half over the filling to form a half moon. Crimp the edge with the tines of a fork to seal.

If the dough becomes too soft to work with, return first cookie sheet to freezer and switch to circles from the second cookie sheet. If the circles are too cold to be pliable, warm them between your hands for a few seconds or let stand at room temperature until workable. You may have to do this several times before all the pies are filled.

Return assembled pies to the freezer for at least 1 hour before baking.

To bake: Preheat oven to 400° degrees F (350° degrees F in a convection oven). Arrange hand pies 1” apart on a parchment-lined sheet pan or cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minutes until pies are golden brown.

Let stand on the baking sheet for a few minutes to firm. Transfer to a plate with a fork or offset spatula. Pies should still be warm. Serve warm.

Makes approximately 40 hand pies.