Next Sunday evening a lot of Americans will be settling in for another Super Bowl, enjoying the fun of the game, and eagerly awaiting the art and the humor of the commercials. And it is a really fun day to fix a lot of good food—load up the kitchen counter with a variety of favorites and nibble the night away.
Team wise, my family is evenly split between the Packers and the Steelers. Food wise, we are pretty much together. We have a few things that are traditional—guacamole for sure—but other things come in and out of rotation—we love our Buffalo Chicken Dip with Celery Fans, Mushroom Crostini and our Shrimp Wontons are frequent offerings.
This recipe takes about an hour to put together, but is a nice addition to a game day buffet. These are easy to eat and very flavorful. You can play around with the spices—I’ve tried adding chili powder or cumin for a little more spice—I make this version for those who like a little kick but not too much. Serve these with a great big tray of vegetables, and then double the spicy ranch dressing or add a cup of blue cheese dressing as a second choice for dipping.
Game Day Meat Pockets with Spicy Ranch Dressing
Makes 16 Pockets
Ingredients for Meat Pockets
2 packages refrigerated pie dough
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef chuck
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, finely diced
½ green bell pepper, finely diced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon chopped thyme
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Salt and pepper
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons of milk
Ingredients for Spicy Ranch Dressing
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt
Hot Sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
Meat Pocket Preparation:
Take the pie dough out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while you prepare the filling. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the beef chuck and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat until it is nicely browned. Add the garlic, onion and green pepper to the meat and continue to cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the bay leaves, tomato paste, cayenne pepper, thyme, coriander and hot sauce and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of the pie dough. Cut off the curved edges to make one large square. Cut the square into quarters and then cut each quarter in half to make rectangles. With a small pastry brush, brush the edges of the bottom half of a pocket with the egg wash. Mound some of the meat filling in the center, leaving a small edge. Top with another rectangle, crimp the edges together and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all of the pockets are prepared and then brush the tops of them all with the egg wash. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
To make the Homemade Ranch Dressing:
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, celery salt and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and hot sauce. Sprinkle the scallions on top and serve with the meat pockets.
