Holiday Week Recipe #2 - Christmas Meat Pies

If you aren't reclining on a beach in Hawaii, and are looking for something a little different and just a little special for a holiday meal, here is the second recipe for the week. These mini meat loaves feature a touch of allspice, adding a subtle, slightly exotic flavor to an otherwise basic meatloaf recipe. The crust makes it special enough for a holiday meal.

 Christmas Meat Pies in Sour Cream Crust

Sour Cream Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
6 T cold butter, cut into 1/4 inch tiny pieces
Mix flour and salt together. Add the egg and sour cream to combine. Cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or two knives, or your shiny new mixer, until it is incorporated into the dough. If the dough is too wet to handle, add a bit more flour. If the dough is too dry add a tsp.of water. Roll into ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

Meatloaf filling:
2.5 lbs. ground meat - you can use half beef and half pork or all beef.
2 eggs
1 cup fresh bread crumbs - left over bread torn up small or ground in the food processor will work.
1 cup finely chopped onion
2  cups finely chopped fresh button mushrooms
1 T. cream horseradish
1 large clove garlic, finely minced (or more if you like garlic)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp Rosemary leaves - if dried, pulverize it in the palm of your hand, if fresh, chop fine before adding.
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp dried  dill weed - (not dill seed)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ingredients together in large bowl until well combined. Form into free-form mini-meat loaves about 4 inches wide and 5-6 inches long - this will make 6 loaves. Place on baking sheet with rim - juices will run as the meat cooks. Place in preheated oven and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes until loaves are firm enough to handle, but not fully cooked.

While meat is cooking, roll dough out on flour covered board. You will need 18, 6" long strips, each about an inch and a half wide.

Remove meatloaves from oven and let cool 5 to10 minutes until cool enough to handle. Wrap each loaf with sour cream dough in whatever pattern you like, sealing the ends on the underside of each loaf. Use scraps of dough to cut leaves or other decorations for the top.Adjust oven temperature to 350 degrees. After loaves are wrapped in dough, place on greased baking sheet. Mix one egg with 3 T. milk in a small bowl.  Brush over the top of dough with pastry brush, to help the crust brown.

Bake at 350 degrees 25 to 30 minutes until crust is brown and meat is cooked through. Interior temperature of meat loaves should be 160 degrees.

Serve with sauce - 2/3 cup low-fat sour cream mixed with 1/3 cup cream horseradish.