No need to wait til St. Paddy’s Day to bite into these Bangers and Sweet Potato Mash Hand Pies. And, you certainly don’t have to be Irish to love zesty sausage and creamy mashed sweet potatoes along with plenty of Irish cheddar swaddled in flaky puff pastry. And, yes, they’re topped with even more cheese!
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
Although bangers and mash is traditionally made with white potatoes, I figured why not change things up just a bit and use my fave sweet potatoes. Nonetheless, these hand pies would be a hit either way. Plus, they are so delish and easy to put together, you'll walk right by those frozen hot pockets in the market and leave them in the case where they belong.
Cooking Steps
Hope you enjoyed some comic relief and now on to the recipe! I'm sure there's a history of certain spices used in making Irish sausage, but using any high-quality pork sausage will work just fine. And if you prefer turkey or chicken sausage, go for it.
To get started, all you have to do is simply brown the sausage on all sides and make sure it's mostly cooked through. To get that extra caramelization I drizzled just a bit of honey over them toward the end of cooking.
As for the sweet potatoes, they're a cinch to whip up and are enhanced with green onion, fresh thyme and another drizzle of honey. You can make the sweet potatoes, sausage, and grate the cheese a day before assembling to save some time the day of.
Assembliing
It's tempting to over-stuff the pies, but try to leave yourself enough border to work with so there's room for crimping them shut. You don't want the filling to ooze out anywhere. And don't be shy with the egg wash. That's the glue keeping them sealed. Once they're all assembled you can freeze them at this point before baking (see the notes section of the recipe).
It's completely optional to pile on the extra cheese on top, but I love the extra flavor and golden color. It reminds me of asiago bagels which are such a fave.
They'll bake for just 20-25 minutes and you'll have perfectly puffed, flaky pastry with a creamy, cheesy and zesty filling that's a total flavor-bomb in every bite. Hope you enjoy! Eat well, friends!! xo, Kim
What do these hand pies go with?
These tasty hand pies are hearty enough to stand on their own for dinner, delicious game day appetizers, and perfect alongside entree salads like these:
Mocha-Rubbed Steak and Spinach Salad
Farmers Market Salad w/ Halloumi & Adobo Chicken
Shrimp Garden Salad w/ Sesame Lime Dressing
Citrus Salad with Avocado & Goat Cheese
Smoked Salmon Spinach Salad w/ Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
Plus More Irish-inspired Recipes for your St. Patrick's Day Party!
Guinness Beef Pie by Olive & Mango
Grandma's Irish Soda Bread by Sally's Baking Addicition
Nutty Irishman Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
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📋 Recipe
Bangers and Sweet Potato Mash Hand Pies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pork sausages , mild or spicy
- 3 sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 tablespoons milk , divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 orange , juiced
- ⅓ cup green onions , thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves , plus extra for garnish
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 box frozen puff pastry , thawed
- Flour for rolling dough
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese , shredded
- 1 large egg , beaten with 1 tablespoon milk for egg wash
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line an extra-large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes total until cooked through. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate. When cool enough to handle, cut sausages into ¼-inch slices. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, place sweet potato chunks into a medium saucepan. Cover sweet potatoes with water by 1 inch. Bring water to a boil, lower heat to medium and cook until sweet potatoes are fork tender, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Drain the sweet potatoes with a strainer and transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons milk, butter, honey, and orange juice. Using a handheld mixer or potato masher, blend mixture until well combined.
- Stir in green onion and thyme, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the first puff pastry sheet to an 11-inch square and the second into a 12-inch square. Cut each into 9 even squares.
- Divide ½ cup of cheese among the 9 smaller squares from the first puff pastry sheet, leaving a ¼-inch border. Transfer to prepared baking sheet.
- Top with 2-3 slices of sausage and 2 tablespoons of sweet potato mixture (can be in either order).
- Brush pastry edges with egg wash. Lay the remaining 9 slightly larger squares over the filling and seal the edges by crimping with the back of a fork.
- Brush tops of hand pies with egg wash. Cut 2-3 small slits on top with a sharp knife.
- Divide the remaining cup of cheese on top of the hand pies (optional). Sprinkle with freshly grated pepper.
- Place hand pies in oven and bake for 20-23 minutes until puffed and golden brown.
- Let pies cool 5 minutes or so before serving. Garnish with extra thyme and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Her Mimi says
I could eat just about anything stuffed into puff pastry! But I love what you did here.
Kim Peterson says
Thank you Mimi! They're always a hit!
Ben @ Havocinthekitchen says
Kim, these hand pies look and sound splendid. I am a huge fan of savoury pies, so this combination of sausage, sweet potatoes, thyme, and cheddar is right up my alley. Look at this melted cheese and perfectly golden crust! Great job!
Kim Peterson says
Thanks Ben!! The flavors do really go so well together and the cheesy pastry makes them so addictive!