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Homemade Baked Lamb Samsa
Crispy on the outside and impossibly juicy within, these traditional Central Asian lamb pastries are the ultimate savory hand pie. A simple, unleavened dough wraps around a rich filling of hand-chopped lamb, onions, and warm spices. Baking them on a hot stone creates a beautifully golden crust that shatters when you take a bite. A touch of yogurt in the filling ensures the meat stays tender while it bakes. They're fantastic as a hearty appetizer or a casual weekend lunch.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached, plus extra for surfaces
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ pound coarsely ground lamb or about ¾ pound bone-in lamb leg, shoulder, or chops (see Note on Texture)
- ¼ cup lamb fat if using ground lamb
- 1 packed cup coarsely chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons plain full-fat yogurt (see Note on Texture)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional) 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- 1Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly. With the machine running, slowly pour 1 1/4 cups of water through the feed tube until a solid dough ball forms.
- 2Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 4 minutes until very smooth. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and set it aside.
- 3If using bone-in lamb, cut the meat away from the bone and trim away most of the fat. Measure out 1/2 pound of the lamb meat (about 1 tightly packed cup) and finely chop it with a sharp knife or cleaver. Finely mince 1/4 cup of the reserved lamb fat. Hand-chopping the meat instead of using a processor prevents it from turning into a paste, keeping the filling tender and distinct.
- 4Place the chopped meat, minced fat, and 1 packed cup of finely minced onion in a mixing bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper until well blended.
- 5Position an oven rack in the upper third of your oven and place a baking stone on it if available. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 6Unwrap the dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough in half, covering one half loosely to prevent drying. Divide the working half into 8 equal portions.
- 7Roll each portion into a smooth ball, press slightly flat, dust with flour, and let them rest for 10 minutes. Resting the dough relaxes the gluten, making it much easier to roll out without shrinking back.
- 8Roll one piece of dough into a 5 to 6-inch circle. Spoon a scant 2 tablespoons of the lamb filling into the center.
- 9Bring two opposite edges of the dough up over the filling and pinch them firmly together.
- 10Bring the remaining open ends up to the center and pinch them closed, creating a ridged seam across the top. Gently press the pastry to form a neat rectangular shape and place it seam side up on your prepared baking sheet.
- 11Repeat the filling and shaping process with the remaining dough balls and the reserved half of the dough until you have 16 pastries.
- 12Set the baking sheet on the hot stone or directly on the oven rack. Bake for 35 minutes until the pastries turn golden brown.
- 13Carefully transfer the baked pastries to a serving plate. Let them cool for 5 minutes before eating, as the filling will be extremely hot.
Notes
- Texture: Hand-chopping the meat and fat yields a much better texture than using a food processor, which can turn the meat into a paste.
- Serving: These pastries are meant to be eaten out of hand, much like a savory hand pie or sandwich.
- Equipment: Baking these on a preheated pizza stone or unglazed quarry tiles helps crisp the bottom of the dough, mimicking a traditional tandoor oven.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the lamb filling a day in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge to save time.