Apple Fried Pie

By Bailey1_

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup lard, chilled
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups cooking apples such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and diced (about 1/2 pound of apples)
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Oil for frying
• Powdered sugar and ground cinnamon for sprinkling

Details

Servings 10
Cooking time 120mins
Adapted from cookstr.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. To make the crust, mix together the flour and salt. Add the lard, either with a fork, your hands, or a pastry cutter. When the flour is clumped together, slowly add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist enough to come together. Form the dough into a ball, then wrap and place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour.

2. Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, preferably a cast-iron skillet, melt the butter on low heat. Add the apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, ancho chile powder, and salt, and while occasionally stirring, cook until the apples are soft, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

3. To make the fried pies, roll out the chilled piecrust until it's no more than a 1/8 of an inch thick. Cut out 3-inch-diameter circles. Roll out any leftover scraps and continue to cut 3-inch circles until all the dough has been used. You should have about 10.

4. Place 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of each crust. Moisten the edges and fold the crust over, sealing the edges with your fingers and then press down on the edges with a fork.

5. In a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees. With a spatula, gently place each pie into the hot oil, and turn over after a minute. Cook on the other side for another minute, and then drain on a rack or paper-towel-lined plate. You can sprinkle powdered sugar and/or cinnamon over pies if you like.