Sausage Pocket Pies

These pies are the perfect travel food--flaky, delicious, meaty, filling, and portable.  Grab a bunch to take to a baseball game or on a picnic.  Or just eat them for dinner with a lovely green salad.  They're delicious!  The best part about them, though, is that you can make them ahead of time.  You can either refrigerate or freeze them after they're made, and then pop them in the oven when you are ready to eat.  

Sausage Pocket Pies

Ingredients:
1/4 pound ground Italian sausage meat
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1/4 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4" cubes (or another very tart apple)
1 stem thyme, leaves picked (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 small stem rosemary, leaves picked (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 T Craisins or raisins 
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 T vegetable oil
1 T butter
1 package Puff Pastry (2 sheets), thawed for 40 minutes
1 egg + 1 tsp water, for egg wash

Prepare two baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats. Have on hand a small bowl filled with water. Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until cooked through.  Remove from pan and crumble; set aside.  In the same large skillet (don't wash), heat oil and butter over medium high heat.  Add onion and saute for two minutes, or until soft and lightly browned.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant and lightly brown, about 1 minute.  Add apples and saute until slightly tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Add thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Craisins, as well as the sausage.  Stir all together and cook for about 1 minute to meld flavors.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat.

Working with one sheet of puff pastry at a time (cover and refrigerate unused sheet until ready to use), cut into nine equal squares (you can cut the sheet first into thirds by cutting along the two fold lines, then cross-cut into nine squares).

Place a tablespoonful of filling in the center of each square.
 

Dip one finger in the bowl of water, then rub wet finger along two adjoining edges of a filled square of dough.

Fold the dough corner-to-corner to create a triangle.  Using the tines of a fork, press the edges together to seal. Place pocket pie on baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining squares and dough.

When all the squares have been filled, you can either bake immediately or refrigerate or freeze the pocket pies.  To refrigerate, cover baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.  When ready to bake, follow baking instructions below.

To freeze, cover baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and place entire tray in the freezer.  When pocket pies have frozen completely through (at least overnight), remove to a plastic bag to store.  When ready to bake, follow the directions below.

In a small bowl, combine the egg and 1 tsp water with a fork or whisk.  Brush egg wash over each pie. Bake pies at 400F for 20-25 minutes, or until puffy and browned.  Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 18 pocket pies.