I had already well established that stuffing puff pastry with delicious fillings only leads to more deliciousness when I started making puff pastry samosas. Then one Tuesday this past summer at about 4 p.m. I had a seismic realization. My daughter’s pre-school teachers were coming for a home visit. I would be expected to serve snacks. Of course I was expected to serve snacks. Helloooo. It’s like rule number 3 in Being a Gracious Host (Especially to your Child’s Future Teachers).
So at 4 p.m I established I was expected to serve snacks. For a 5:30 p.m. visit. I was still in Manhattan trying to leave work. Did I mention it was 4 p.m.? What to do? Option one was stop and buy something. I’m still not entirely sure why this option didn’t win. Option two was whip up something easy and yummy with Indian flavorings which highlighted my culinary abilities and our cultural background.
Why do I like to make life hard? I called my nanny who helps me keep it altogether and asked her to boil peas and potatoes and take the puff pastry out of the fridge. By the time I got home, the wheels were in motion for puff pasty samosas. Except that I had no time to roll out the triangles, pinching together the edges and painting each individual triangle with egg white wash.
So here’s what I did. I opened up the rectangle of puff pastry dough. I spooned a generous quantity of the potato and pea mixture slightly off center of the rectangle and then I rolled the left side over the mixture followed by the right. Then I brushed a little egg white on top and baked the whole thing. When it was finished, I sliced the whole loaf into 2-inch thick slices.
Success.
Ingredients
- 2 packs of frozen puff pastry
- 4 potatoes, boiled and cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- Coriander Mint Chutney
- 1 egg
- Chat masala (0ptional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set the puff pastry on the counter so it can thaw.
- In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil. Add cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle. Add peas and cook covered for about 8-10 minutes until peas are softened. Stir in the potatoes and cook another 5-10 minutes. Stir in ~2 tablespoons of coriander/mint chutney. Add salt to taste. Taste the mixture for spice and salt.
- Whisk an egg with a pinch of salt.
- Place puff pastry on a floured surface. Spoon the filling slightly off center lengthwise. Fold the left side over the filling and then the right. Brush a little egg on top before baking.
- Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until golden on a greased cookie tray. Sprinkle with chat masala as soon as the samosa loaf comes out of the oven. Serve with the coriander/mint chutney and ketchup.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Sounds fabulous!
I will have to try this out.
Question: how long does the puff pastry have to thaw?
great idea! i love shortcuts. and i’ve been missing hungry desi :).
Very simple but delicious recipe.
Superb idea.. I usually just layer them on top of each other with stuffing in between for quick preps, but this is even better 🙂
you have an interesting collection of posts and recipes.. Glad to follow you, see you around girl ! 🙂