I have mince & puff pastry... how do I turn it into a pie?

[HushAByeBaby]

Sorry in advance if I sound completely dense here!

I made a big pot of mince and froze it in separate portions. I have some ready rolled puff pastry and I'd like to make it into a pie. It's just for me and my 2 young daughters so doesn't need to look fancy. I was wondering if maybe I could just pop the pastry in the oven and cut it into sections and then just hear the mince and sit the pastry on top of each portion?

Any advice much appreciated. I am a total novice 😆

Are you putting anything else with the mince? Veg? Gravy? I would cook up the mince with onion, garlic, carrots, peas and gravy (and whatever else). Put in a baking dish, lay the puff pastry over the top and stick to the edges of the dish with egg wash, egg wash the top and make a couple of slits for steam and then bake.

You can also just make lids yes, if that’s easier for you

You can do it whatever way you want OP! There's no right or wrong. Either cook it as you suggest, or just have a pie top, or if there's enough pastry have a bottom and a top. Make sure the (precooked) mince is cold though, before you put it with the pasty otherwise it will melt the fat in the pasty and you'll get a soggy bottom and a soggy top!

I would warm through the mince in a saucepan while the oven heats up. Divide the pastry into 2 slightly uneven portions and line a metal pie dish with the slightly larger bit. You can "blind bake" this for a few minutes if you wish but I don't usually bother - fill with mince and arrange the other half of the pasty as the pie lid then bake for 20 mins.

Alternatively it is a perfectly reasonable meal to cook the pastry and the mince separately as described in your op - though I would suggest you cut the pastry into sections then cook rather than cooks first and cutting later. It will be nice, but it won't be "pie"

I would cook up the mince with onion, garlic, carrots, peas and gravy (and whatever else).

I already cooked the mince with onion, carrots, beef stock and some gravy granules.

It's defrosting on the kitchen worktop as we speak

I've not got a pie dish... I've only got a glass rectangle Pyrex dish... would that work?

Do a long plait.
Roll pastry into a square/rectangle
Place your mince mixture (making sure it’s not too runny) in a straight line in the middle.
Cut skits along left and right side.
Plait together by lying each strip from the cut bits over each previous one.

Maybe google a pastry plait!

Brush with egg and bake!

www.thekitchn.com/how-to-braid-puff-pastry-109832

Do a long plait.

That sounds amazing. Do you just brush the top with the egg I'm assuming?

I'd cut the pastry into three "lids" of whatever size you think you will each eat, and cook them on an oven sheet. Heat the mince to boiling, then serve on a plate with some veg. Deconstructed pie it would possibly be called on a posh restaurant menu! Its not the same as a pie, but much easier.

I'd also typically do a mince pie with shortcuts pastry rather than puff pastry, but that might be preference rather than typical.

Yes.
I do it a lot with sausage meat but it’s also yummy with apple and blackberries and sugar sprinkled on the top! I’m tempted to make one myself now, I’ve literally just defrosted some mince!

I’m a bit addicted to puff pastry -just ask my hips-

I'm inspired to make a pie with DS's name on top now

I follow jojoromancer on instagram, her pies are amazing!

All sounds delicious!

Although I mis-read slightly and now I'm craving (Christmas) mince pies 😂

Another who thought you were having early sweet mince pies

Pyrex dish is fine. It also helps the pastry (if you're having a bottom) if you put a tray into the oven to warm up to temperature before you put the pie dish in.