Ham and Egg Hand Pies

What am I going to do with all this leftover ham?  I thought about scrambled eggs and ham, but that’s nothing to blog about.  How about wrapping up some ham and eggs inside some buttery, flaky puff pastry?  We have a winner!  These are best hot out of the oven, but I have a hunch you could easily warm them in the oven the next day and they would still retain their flakiness.  Make them in advance and freeze them, then pop them in the oven in the morning – you can even take them to go!  Makes 8 Hand Pies

• 1 package Puff Pastry, thawed
• flour for dusting
• 1 T. butter
• 6 eggs, beaten, plus one for an egg wash
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 t. dill
• 1 generous C. cubed leftover ham
• 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Set the puff pastry out on the counter about an hour ahead of time.  Heat the butter in a nonstick skillet and add the eggs and the dill.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add the ham and toss until the eggs are soft set.  Set aside.

   

Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and roll it out just a bit.  Cut it into fourths.  Scoop out 1/2 C. of the egg and ham mixture and place it into the corner of one of the puff pastry squares.

  

If using cheese, sprinkle about a T. of cheese on top of the filling.  With a little water on your finger, moisten the edges of the puff pastry.  Fold the pastry over the filling corner to corner forming a triangle and press to seal.  Use a fork to seal the edges.

  

Brush the outside of the hand pie with beaten egg.  Heat the oven to 400 degrees, bake the hand pies 4 at a time on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper for about 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown.