I'm not a big St. Patrick's Day reveler, but I am half Irish and would be happy to celebrate that fact with some dark beer anytime. With the holiday falling on Thursday during a very busy work week, I had every intention of letting the day pass with a hasty after-work beer toast and a night on the couch. But that morning as I cleared my in-box I saw a recipe that caused me to pause. Somewhere, somehow I ended up on Martha Stewart's daily
Every Day Food listserve, which diligently sends me a dinner recipe every morning. I often delete without opening, but am also occasionally interested and inspired by the recipes that come through, which is why I have not unsubsribed. This particular morning's recipe was for
Irish Beef Hand Pies. Although this did not initially sound appealing to me at all, I returned to the deleted recipe as I remembered the Hand Pie's relative -- the Cornish Pasty. Traditionally a buttery (or lard-y), flaky crust enveloping steamy roast meat, potatoes and other veggies, the perfect size to hold in your hand.
