Spiced Potato Swirl Pastries

Happy New year everyone! :-)
 Here's something to warm you up in the cold winter weather! Tramping through the snow and shoveling clear your driveways will certainly give you a good appetite for sampling this recipe. :-)

There is a popular Indian dish known as Alu Patra which are deep fried spiced potato swirls. Every Indian house wife probably has her own variation of it. Since I prefer to bake instead of deep-fry, here is my own "gopi-fied" version of the recipe. These pastries make delicious lunch box snacks or a meal in themselves.

Ingredients

 
Filling:
5 medium potato's peeled, washed and cubed
1 small zucchini washed and shredded
1 TSBP ghee (clarified butter)
1 1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 TSBP Italian herbs
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp paprika flakes
Approx 1 1/2 - 2 TBSP real sea salt (or to taste)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup sour cream
1 TBSP cornflour
1 cup fresh coriander leaves washed and chopped small

Pastry:
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups Arrowhead Mills pancake waffle mix
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 TBSP salt
3 TBSP ghee
1 1/2 TBSP apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Approx 3/4 cup cold water or as needed
1 TBSP oil or ghee for rubbing
1/2 cup flour at hand for dusting

Method for the filling:

Steam potato's til soft and drain. Heat 1 TBSP ghee and chaunce spices for a few seconds. Then stir fry the zucchini a few minutes and add in potato's. Stir to coat with evenly the spices. Mash the potato's, add salt, lemon juice, corn flour, and sour cream and mix well. Simmer over low heat for 10 mins stirring frequently. Remove from heat, mix in the coriander leaves and leave to cool.


Method for pastry:

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Rub in the ghee til flour resembles fine bread crumbs. Add in the vinegar/lemon juice, and then add the water slowly. Just use enough water to make a lovely soft non-sticky dough. Knead for a few minutes til nice and smooth. Place in a bowl and leave in freezer to cool for 10 mins.

On a dry surface lightly dusted in flour, roll out the pastry into a rectangular shape. Rub oil or ghee over the surface. Then spread the potato filling evenly over the pastry leaving a 1/4 inch uncovered along the edges. Then beginning on one end pinch over the pastry into a ridge and roll it up as firmly and tightly as possible. Pinch the ends and sides of the pastry shut - use a little water if necessary.

Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into approx 1 inch slices. On a lightly floured surface - to avoid stickiness from the potato filling coming out - pat them back into rounds.

Lightly oil a baking sheet and dust with flour. Place the pastries on it leaving a couple millimeters between them. Bake in a preheated oven at 395 degrees Fahrenheit for approx 20 minutes or until dark golden.

Gently remove from tray with a flat spatula and place to cool on paper towels to remove any excess oil for the bottom. They should be soft in texture. Makes approx 12 pieces. Delicious served warm with a dash of sour cream.