Renny Darling's

Samosas are quite heavy, traditionally made with a baking powder dough and deep-fried. Once again, I have adjusted the dish to make it lighter. Using puff pastry is just lovely and eliminates deep-frying. The end result is marvelous and delicious. I have included 2 fillings...one made with vegetables and the other with meat. Boiling the potatoes in chicken broth is far more tasty than using water.

Meat Filling:
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
salt to taste
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons bread or cracker crumbs

In a skillet, saute onion in butter until onion is soft. Add the beef and seasonings and saute meat, turning, until meat is crumbled and loses its pinkness. Stir in egg and crumbs until blended. Set filling aside to cool.

Vegetable Filling:
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or oil
1 pound potatoes, peeled and boiled in chicken broth until tender.
Drain thoroughly and coarsely chop. Do not puree. Discard the broth.
1 package (10 ounces) frozen baby peas, defrosted
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 sprinkle cayenne pepper or to taste
In a skillet, saute onion in butter until onion is soft. Meanwhile prepare the potatoes. In a large bowl, place all the ingredients and seasonings and stir to combine. Set filling aside to cool.

The Pastry:
1 package (about 1 pound 1 ounce) prepared puff pastry (2 sheets)
1 egg, beaten

Preparation:
Roll out each sheet of puff pastry to 1/8-inch thickness, or about a 12x16-inch square. As a guide, draw a 4-inch circle with parchment paper or use a 4-inch bowl. Mark off and cut 4-inch circles on the pastry. You will end up with 24 circles.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon filling onto each circle. Fold dough in half and crimp edges with the tines of a fork. Pierce tops in several places with the tines of a fork. Place samosas on a lightly greased cookie sheet, brush tops with beaten egg and bake at 400° for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Yields 24 Samosas. Any leftover Samosas can be frozen.