I was fortunate to have an Irish/American mother who made mutton pies for us every Christmas (she learned how from her Irish Mother.) As a child we ate these pies for breakfast on Christmas morning. My mom is now 88 and I've made mutton pies with her many times. I'm so thankful that she passed on this wonderful tradition.

MUTTON PIES

Lean lamb that is cut into bite sized pieces

Plain pie crust made with lard (we've tried vegetable shortening but it makes a crust that is to flaky which breaks down and falls apart when the pies are cooked in the broth)

TO MAKE THE PIES:
Roll out the pie dough and cut into rounds with a small saucer approx 6-inches. Take one pie crust round and place several pieces of meat in the middle. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Top with a second round of crust roll over the edge and crimp all the way around to seal the dough, place on a baking sheet that has been greased or covered with parchment (they like to stick).

Continue to make pies to place on the sheet until it is full. Brush the tops of pies with condensed milk or an egg wash.

Bake tray of pies for approx 1 hour at 350 degrees F. Cool, (at this point pies freeze very well or can be cooked in broth and eaten right away.)

TO MAKE THE LAMB BROTH:
Lamb bones and fat with meat scraps that has been trimmed from your lamb for pies. I often add beef bones as well to make the broth more flavorful.

Cover bones and trimmings with water, add a chopped onion to the pot, bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for approx 2 hours.

Once the broth is well cooked turn off heat and cool. Render by removing bones and fat. Chill to allow remaining fat to solidify on the top of soup. When soup is well chilled, remove fat from the top and render again to remove any remaining pieces of fat. (The broth should contain small bits and pieces of meat.)

WHEN READY TO EAT:
Heat soup in a large pot on the top of stove to boil. Reduce to simmer, drop a pie into the broth and cook approx 15 minutes or until the crust softens around the edges. Carefully scoop the pie out of the broth and place in wide rimmed bowl, add some broth, season with more cinnamon and enjoy! These pies taste like nothing else we've ever experienced, they are very filling.

Making some for Christmas this year, (we don't eat them for breakfast any more though.)