This week is another week of travel. I’m realizing how challenging it is to travel frequently for work and still be able to carve out time both to cook and eat a good lunch. I have a very late night drive back from my destination on Wednesday night, so decided I needed to have something on hand in the freezer for lunch at work on Thursday. I also had a half bag of baby potatoes that needed to be used, so between the two, opted to make baked samosas.
I spent about an hour on these on Sunday. I realized when I was half way into the process that it was going to take a bit more time that I had originally anticipated, so I queued up some music on Pandora, poured a glass of white wine (it was late afternoon), and rolled and stretched my dough, filling each one with this heavenly spiced potato, onion, and pea mixture. I had a bit more potato and pea mixture, so we used it in simple tortilla wraps for a snack. I think I may experiment at some later date with this mixture on a pizza – if I do, I’ll be sure to put it on the blog.
Baked Samosas
Makes 15
Dough
3 cups flour
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup cold water
Combine all ingredients and gently mix. If you need to add more water, do so a tablespoon at a time. The dough should be tacky, but you should be able to handle it with just a dusting of flour on your hands. Knead gently in the bowl until the dough is soft and sticks together. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Filling
8 – 10 small potatoes
1 onion, diced
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon grated or finely diced ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Place the potatoes in a saucepan and fill with water just so the potatoes are covered. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cooking until the potatoes are fork tender (about 45 minutes). Drain the potatoes, return to the saucepan and gently mash. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the diced onions and the ginger. Cook until the onions are lightly browned. Add the onions, ginger, peas, and spices to the potatoes and mix thoroughly.
Assembling the Samosas
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and split into thirds. Take the first third and roll it out on a floured working surface. The dough will be stretchy, so you may need to let it rest between rolling. Roll to about 1/4 inch thickness. Using a glass or round cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles. (I used an English Muffin ring that was 3 3/4 inches in diameter). Place a small scoop (about a tablespoon) of filling in the middle of the circle and fold over. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp the edges. Place each samosa on the baking sheet. You can snug them in together as they will not stick together while baking. Repeat until all the dough is used.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the samosas are lightly browned. Serve with chutney or on their own.
