Oven Baked Samosas

A samosa is the quintessential Indian appetizer. No matter what Indian restaurant we go to, we always order them. They are deep fried triangular pastries, stuffed with a savory concoction of potatoes and vegetables and served with a sweet and tangy sauce. When we decided to make them last weekend I was not looking forward to deep frying anything. I came across Rachael Ray's recipe for baked samosas and let out a sigh of relief! A healthier and lighter samosa? Could it be?

These are so good. And when I say good, I mean REAL good...Evan and I ate all of them in one sitting. The pie dough was the perfect crust and the filling was nice and spicy. If you are a fan of Indian food, or even if you've never had it in your life...you must make these!

Oven Baked Samosas

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray
Ingredients:

1 large potato (about 1/2 a pound, use 2 if needed), peeled and diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger (about a half-inch piece), grated
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup vegetable stock, a little more or a little less to loosen filling
1 package (2 9-inch rounds) store-bought, raw pie dough (I just used one 9-inch round and saved the other for another day.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Drain and reserve in the same pot you cooked them in.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes, then ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, and salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the drained potatoes and peas and cook another minute. If the filling seems too thick, add a splash or two of vegetable stock. Remove from the heat and let cool. 
On a lightly floured surface, unroll both doughs. Cut each dough round into 8 equal wedges, like a pizza.
Spoon 1 teaspoon of the potato filling onto the middle of each wedge. Brig the three points up to each other, then pinching at the seams to form a small pyramid. Use a fork to seal all edges. Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. 

Potatoes in a Creamy Tomato Gravy

Evan and I were craving Indian food last weekend, so instead of going out we decided to cook! We usually cook Indian food with the pre-made gravy packets, but this time we went all homemade! And if you're looking for a great appetizer to with it be sure to check out my baked samosas. :) 

I've tried to make this gravy a handful of times, but it has never turned out this good. I've played around with a couple of different recipes and finally ended up just combining a little part from each of them. Now, this time, it was perfect! This creamy, sweet, and spicy gravy is ammmmaazing! Add some buttery potatoes and it is definitely a classic go-to Indian meal. It is perfect served over rice or with some crispy naan. 

Ingredients
Gravy:
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
2-inch thumb ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons paprika
1-2 tablespoons garam masala

1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Potatoes:
1 pound small new potatoes
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt 

1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

For the potatoes:

Put the potatoes, garlic, and bay leaf in a large saucepan, add cold water to cover by about an inch and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until potatoes are fork tender, about 5 to 8 minutes depending on their size. 

Drain and discard the garlic and bay leaf. Halve the potatoes, if large. Melt butter over potatoes and set aside.

For the Gravy: 

Dice one large onion. In a large skillet melt butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince the garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions.

Next add the chili powder, garam masala spice, and tomato paste. Let the spices and tomato paste become fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add your can of crushed tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 20-25 minutes. Add a little bit of water is gravy becomes too thick. 

Pour gravy into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour back into the pan, and bring back up to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and heavy cream and stir until well combined. Serve over rice with naan. Enjoy!