Flaky Potato and Brie Parcels
A creamy, cheesy potato mash filling with plenty of garlic, sage, and brie. All encased in layers of flaky, buttery filo pastry. There's a little surprise of chilli running through the mash with background notes of nutmeg.
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 900 g potatoes peeled, Maris Pipers/King Edwards/Russets/Idaho/Yukon Golds work well
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 leek white and light green portion finely sliced
- 2 red chillies finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 20 g fresh sage roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 200 g brie chopped into cubes
For the pastry:
- 250 g filo pastry ~14 sheets
- 6 tbsp butter
- black sesame seeds optional
Instructions
Preparing the filling:
- Start by chopping the potatoes into quarters, then place into a saucepan along with the salt and enough cold water to cover completely. Bring to a boil and boil till knife tender
- Drain the potatoes into a colander or sieve and place a kitchen towel on top. Allow to cool and dry for 15 minutes
- Meanwhile in a separate pan heat up 2tbsp of the butter and add the leeks. Sauté for around one minute on a medium-low heat
- Then add the garlic, chilli, and sage and continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes
- Once the potatoes have cooled for around 15 minutes, either pass through a potato ricer or use a potato masher until it forms a smooth mash. Add the remaining tbsp of butter to this mixture for a super smooth and creamy mash
- Add the leek mixture into the mash along with the nutmeg and black pepper. Check your mix for seasoning and add salt if required
- Cover the mixture with a lid or foil and allow it to cool completely
- Once cooled add the brie and mix to combine
Preparing the parcels:
- Melt the butter and leave aside
- Take a sheet of filo, leaving the others covered with a lightly damp towel to prevent drying out
- Brush the sheet of filo with butter, it does not need to be perfect
- Fold the sheet in half to create one long sheet, then with a sharp knife cut this lengthways into two equal long strips. Each strip should now be 2 layers thick (i.e. from 14 sheets of filo you will end up with 28 long strips = 28 parcels)
- For the folding, follow the visual guide above. Place a heaped tbsp of filling at the top corner of each pastry strip and fold the top corner inwards to create a triangular shape
- Next fold this triangular shape down and repeat this diagonal folding method until there is only a small strip of pastry remaining. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect and the corners are not completely sealed shut
- Brush the small amount of exposed pastry with melted butter and fold over to seal
Baking the parcels:
- Pre heat your oven to 180’C fan/200’C conventional
- Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the parcels seam side down
- Brush the top surface of the parcels liberally with melted butter
- Sprinkle with black sesame seeds (optional) and place into the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes or until deep golden brown in colour