Cheese and onion patties
Potato and Lancashire cheese make a lovely filling for these lightly spiced pastries. They can be eaten hot or cold so they're great for picnics, parties and lunchboxes.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 200g/7oz Lancashire cheese, grated
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 1 tbsp green seasoning
- 1 tsp Korean red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp ground allspice
For the pastry
- 375g/13 oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 175g/6oz unsalted butter
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala (alternatively use any blend of curry powder)
- 1 tsp salt
- 180ml/6fl oz ice-cold water
- 1 free-range egg, beaten
Method
Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the potatoes until just tender. Drain well and set aside to cool.
For the pastry, put the flour, butter, turmeric, garam masala and salt in a food processor and pulse to slowly incorporate the butter into the flour. To do this by hand, rub the butter into flour using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs, working quickly to avoid the butter melting.
Add the ice-cold water bit by bit and knead with your hands until a smooth dough forms. You may need a tablespoon less or more water. Try not to handle it too much as it will make the pastry tough.
Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill it in the fridge while you mix the filling.
Meanwhile, mix all of the filling ingredients together in a bowl.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured worksurface to the thickness of a pound coin. Use a saucer or small plate (about 10cm/4in diameter) to cut around the pastry. Re-roll any remaining pastry to make more circles (you should be able to get 8–10 circles out of the pastry).
Add 2–3 tablespoons of the cheese and potato mixture to the middle of each pastry circle.
Use a wet finger to dampen the pastry around the edges. Fold the pastry over the filling and use a fork to crimp the edges together.
Whisk the egg with a splash of water and brush over the patties to glaze. For a flat patty fork a hole in the top or for a puffed-up pastry (as I like them) leave out the hole!
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
Place all the patties on to a baking tray (or two) and bake for 20–25 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
