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Pano Karatassos

Lamb Pie
S21E6 American · 2019
Where to find them
● @chefpano

Pano Karatassos is the Corporate Executive Chef for Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in Atlanta — the family-run operation that has put Kyma, Pano's & Paul's, and a half-dozen other Atlanta institutions on the map since the 1970s. His father founded the group. He inherited the kitchens and made them his own.

His weapon in 2019 was lamb pie — a Greek hand pie, layered phyllo over a slow-braised lamb shoulder shredded into a filling of onions, oregano, dill, and a hit of red wine reduced to syrup. The phyllo technique is the show: each sheet brushed with clarified butter, layered ten deep, so the crust shatters into a hundred buttery flakes when the fork goes in.

Bobby's phyllo, per the room, did not shatter. It folded. That is the difference.

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Lamb Pie

25 min Prep
55 min Cook
4 Serves
Ingredients
  • 1.5 lbs lamb shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup beef stock
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 lb all-butter puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash
Instructions
  1. Pat lamb cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in two batches to avoid crowding, sear lamb for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply browned. Set aside on a plate.
  2. Add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and cook for 4 minutes until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, coating the vegetables.
  3. Add carrots, return lamb and any accumulated juices to the pan, then pour in red wine. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add beef stock, oregano, cumin, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 35 minutes until lamb is very tender and sauce has reduced by one-third. Discard bay leaf. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer lamb filling to a 9-inch pie dish, spreading evenly and ensuring the filling is still warm. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Roll out puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut a circle 2 inches larger than the pie dish rim. Drape pastry over filling, pressing gently around edges to seal. Trim excess and crimp edges with a fork. Cut three small vents in the center of the crust.
  6. Brush pastry generously with egg wash. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake for 18-22 minutes until the pastry is deep golden brown and puffed. The filling should bubble slightly at the vents.
  7. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the filling to set slightly and makes portioning cleaner.
Inspired by Pano Karatassos’s winning lamb pie. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.
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