Potato Cheese and Onion Parcels

I was in London a few years back to visit my daughter, who was lonely and homesick and pining for home. And who can blame her? It was her first posting overseas and her first time of being away from home for an extended period. It was also the middle of a long dreary winter. So what does this have to do with Potato Cheese and Onion Parcels?

My daughter and I had arranged to meet for lunch in the city centre one rainy day, but she was running late and while waiting I bought an ordinary looking pie from Greggs Bakery.Greggs is a famous bakery chain that sells sausage rolls, sandwiches and other bakery items. I don’t know if I was just starving, but that pastry filled with Cheese and Onion was just heavenly and I remember that cheesy goodness right to this day. And during my stay in London, I tried a couple more items from Gregg, but nothing compared to that Cheese and Onion pie.

What you need to make Potato Cheese and Onion Parcels

• Potatoes – The original Gregg Pastry didn’t have potatoes, but I think it adds a bit of texture, heft and volume. I fry the potatoes in a little bit of oil, but you can also use boiled potatoes or better yet leftover mash, if you’ve got them.
• Cheese- I usually make this with Cheddar, but any cheese combination ( like Mozzarella, Parmesan,Cheddar) will do.
• Puff Pastry – Use the best butter Puff Pastry you can find. In Sydney, there’s a brand available called Careme, that’s the best. A little bit spendy, but worth it. If bought frozen, thaw the pastry sheets overnight in the fridge.
• Other Pantry/Fridge Items- Egg for glazing, Cream and Cornstarch to thicken the sauce, Salt and Pepper to taste and a vegetarian stock powder called Vegeta(optional). If you have it, Sesame or Black Sesame seeds look good when sprinkled on the top of the parcels before baking.

Easy does it…

• Cook the finely diced potatoes until tender and lightly golden on the edges. Alternatively, boil the potato until tender, then grate with a coarse grater . Set to one side of the pan and cook the diced onions until soft and wilted. Mix together to combine.
• Add the cream and cornstarch slurry, season with stock powder, salt and pepper to taste and cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens. Set aside to cool.
• Cut each of the pastry sheets into 4 squares to make 8 in total. Divide the potato filling equally between the 8 squares and place the filling to one side of the pastry. Fold the other side of the pastry over itself to enclose the filling completely, then crimp the edges (except the folded part) with the tines of a fork. Use a small sharp knife to cut shallow slits to let the steam escape so the parcel does not burst. Repeat for the remaining pastry squares.
• Brush with beaten egg to glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
• Bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Options and Variations…

• This makes a great light lunch served with a garden salad.
• Add a handful of cooked diced bacon for a more substantial pie.
• Finely diced spinach added to the filling is also a great combo.
• Make into smaller bite sized parcels which makes perfect nibbles to go with drinks.
• Perfect as it is, it is delicious dipped in sweet chilli sauce.

To quote the great songwriter Paul Simon, “There are fifty ways to leave your lover”, and there are as many ways to shape a pastry parcel. The original from Gregg’s bakery was a rectangle, but below are three of my favourite shapes.

More puff pastry ideas? Try my recipe for Satay Chicken Sausage Rolls. Guaranteed easy and a crowd pleaser.

Potato Cheese and Onion Parcels

Recipe by acmowlaiCourse: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium Potato (about 250g) finely diced, about 1 cm

• 1 tablespoons Cooking Oil

• 1 onion, peeled and diced

• 1 teaspoon onion or garlic powder

• 1/4 cup Cream

• 2 tablespoons Cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of Water

• 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

• 2 sheets Puff Pastry, thawed

• 1 Beaten Egg for egg wash

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon Vegetarian Stock Powder(such as Vegeta),optional

• Sesame Seeds or Nigella Seeds,optional

Directions

• Heat cooking oil on medium heat. Add the diced potato and cook until lightly browned and tender. Push the potatoes to the side of the pan. Add the onion to the middle of the pan and cook until fragrant and soft, then mix the potato and onion together.
• Mix the cream, stock powder if using, onion or garlic powder
  with the cornstarch slurry and add this to the pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until it starts to thicken about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile line a baking sheet with baking paper and preheat oven to 180°C.
• Once the potatoes are cool, add the grated cheese and stir to combine
• Cut each pastry into 4 squares each to make 8 squares all together. Divide the potato cheese filling equally among the pastry squares and place on one side of the sheet only.
• Fold over the other side to enclose the filling completely and crimp the edges with a fork to seal. Use a small sharp knife to score a few shallow slits on the top for the steam to escape.Repeat for all remaining squares.
• Use a pastry brush to glaze the top of the pastry with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame or nigella seeds if desired,
• Place the pastries in the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

• Best served warm or reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Makes 8 parcels or approximately 32 minis.