Michigan Pasty Bagel Bites with Beef Gravy (dairy, egg, soy, nut, tomato/tomatillo) free

• 1 batch Auntie's Master Dough Recipe (dry version)

• 1 lb ground meat of choice (beef or venison is traditional, cooked lentils can also be substituted for a vegan version)

• 1 small rutabaga (called a "Swede" in Europe)

• 2 medium potatoes

• 2 medium carrots

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon salt, plus enough salt for your cooking water

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon each ground thyme, rosemary, marjoram

• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/3 cup brown sugar

For the Beef Gravy:

• 1 teaspoon flour (any kind)

• 1 teaspoon beef tallow

• 2 cups beef broth

Peel and cube your potatoes and rutabaga, scrub and coarsely chop your carrots, and place it all in a medium-large sauce pan covered with 2 quarts of cold water. Salt the water generously, and place over a medium-high burner to boil until the vegetables are fork tender. Drain carefully, before placing in a covered food storage container and refrigerating until cool. This can be done the day before you assemble the bagel bites.

In a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, brown the ground meat, seasoned with 1 teaspoon salt, ground pepper, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and garlic powder. Add the chopped onion, and saute until the onion is translucent. Drain the meat and onion, and transfer them to the container with your cooled root vegetables. Return the bowl to the refrigerator, and bring the meat and onions to a safe temperature to handle. Use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to mash the root vegetables, especially the potato, into a chunky paste for the filling.

Preheat your oven to 450° F. Fill a large pot, I prefer a large, wide skillet with very deep sides, with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover to prevent evaporation, and assemble your bagel bites while the water comes to a boil.

Separate the bagel dough into 32 small dough balls, and use a rolling pin to roll into 1/4" thick rounds. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling into each dough round, and gather the edges together to form a dough ball with the filling inside, twisting and pinching the edges together to seal the filling into the bagel bite.

Dissolve the 1/3 cup of sugar in the pot of boiling water before adding the bagel bites to the pot, making sure not to add so many at a time that you crowd the pot. The bagel bites will sink to the bottom of the pot at first, and pop back up to float as they cook. Boil the bagel bites for 6 minutes each, flipping them over once halfway through the boil period.

Carefully remove the bagel bites from the pot, with a long-handled slotted spoon, and drain before placing on a parchment-lined baking sheet, with the seam side down. Bake at 450° F for 30 minutes, until the tops of the bagel bites are golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator, you can eat them cold, or reheat them in a toaster oven.

Just before serving the bagel bites, in a small space pan over medium-low heat, melt 1 teaspoon of beef tallow, and whisk 1 teaspoon of flour into the tallow to create a roux. Move the roux paste around the bottom of the pan with your whisk until it becomes a golden brown color. Once your roux is cooked to your liking, slowly add beef broth in a drizzle to the pan, whisking vigorously to incorporate into the roux mixture the entire time you're adding broth to the pot. Bring the broth to a boil, still whisking constantly, and allow to thicken slightly before removing from the heat and cooling slightly. Dish into a ramekin to dip your bagel bites, or ladle over the bagel bites before serving them.

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