Samosa pie with lentils and potatoes
The spiced potato, pea and red lentil filling of a samosa baked under a flaky, golden puff pastry lid, all the flavor of the snack in a cozy dinner you scoop onto plates.
- 80 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.41 a serving
- 420 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- 1½ lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- ½ cup split red lentils, rinsed
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ lemon
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ tsp salt, divided
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
Each serving has about 420 calories, 11 g protein, 53 g carbs and 19 g fat, and costs about $1.41 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No frozen peas? Frozen mixed vegetables work.
- No lemons? Limes work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Take one puff pastry sheet out of the freezer to thaw on the counter for about 40 minutes, then the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 40 min
While the pastry thaws, put the potatoes and lentils in a pot, cover with cold water, add 1 teaspoon salt, and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
10 to 12 minutes, until the potatoes are just tender, then well.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Low heatTimer: 11 min
Dolly’s tip: Pull them when a knife slides in but the cubes still hold their shape. They soften more in the skillet.Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large over medium heat and cook the onion 6 minutes, until soft.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 6 min
Stir in the garlic and ginger for 1 minute, then the curry powder, garam masala and cumin for 30 seconds, .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heat
Add the potatoes and lentils, the peas and 1¼ teaspoons salt and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring and crushing some of the potato, until it holds together. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Spread the filling in a 9-inch deep pie plate or square baking dish, lay the pastry over the top, tuck in the edges, and cut 3 small slits in the middle.
Brush the pastry with the last tablespoon of oil and set the dish on a .
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
25 to 30 minutes, until puffed and deep .
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 27 min
Let it rest 10 minutes, then scoop onto plates with a spoonful of yogurt.
Timer: 10 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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