Samosas with the mostest

Take some dough, roll it thin, fill it with meat or veggies, seal it up and cook it. Pretty much every culture has its own version of this. In China, there are dumplings. In Spain, empanadas. In Poland, pierogies. And here in the United States, we have Hot Pockets. (OK. To be fair, there are also pastys, from Michigan's UP, which can be quite wonderful.)

The Indian equivalent is the samosa, a flaky pastry dough stuffed with savory fillings. Samosas are traditionally deep-fried but can also be baked.

This recipe, from Mark Bittman's all-encompassing "The Best Recipe in the World," is the first one I've tried for samosas. The spicy potato-pea filling (he also lists variations for meat and cabbage) was a keeper. But I wish the dough had been flakier. Maybe that's because I baked them and didn't fry them? 

Or maybe you have a recipe for samosa dough that you swear by? Do tell ...

Stay tuned tomorrow for my attempt at Bread-Baking 101, everything you need to know to make your first loaf of yeasted bread.

Potato-and-Pea Samosas

From Mark Bittman's "The Best Recipes in the World"

2 cups flour, plus more as needed

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons cold butter

4 tablespoons yogurt, divided

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons neutral oil or more butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 stemmed, seeded and minced jalapeno (or hot red pepper flakes to taste)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup thawed frozen or fresh green peas

Neutral oil for frying, if using

Combine the flour with a large pinch of salt, the butter and the yogurt in a food processor; turn on the machine and, a few seconds later, add about 1/2 cup water. Let the machine run, adding a little more water if necessary, until a dough ball forms. Knead the dough for a moment by hand, adding a little more flour if necessary, and wrap it in plastic.

Put the potatoes in a pot and add salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until quite soft, 10 to 20 minutes; drain and mash with the spices, the remaining 2 tablespoons yogurt and jalapeno. Cook the peas briefly in boiling salted water (feel free to use the water from the potatoes). Add cooked peas to potato mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning.

(You can prepare both the dough and filling a day or so ahead. Refrigerate until ready to use.)

Sprinkle a work surface with flour and divide the dough into quarters. Cover three of the pieces and divide the fourth into six pieces. Roll each piece into a round ball and roll each ball out into a 3-inch diameter circle. When you have rolled out the first six, put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each. Brush the rim of each with a little water, fold over and seal well. Keep covered with plastic wrap while you finish with the remaining dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees or put at least 3 inches of oil in a saucepan or other deep vessel, turn heat to medium-high and heat the oil to about 350 degrees. If you're baking put the samosas on a nonstick or lightly greased baking sheet and baking until golden, about 30  minutes. If you're frying, cook as many as will fit without crowding in the hot oil until lightly browned, about three minutes, turning once or twice. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

(I've frozen these samosas, both baked and unbaked. Simply reheat in a 300-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.)