In my last post I showed you the killer pear upside down cake that I made with my friend on our cooking night. Well, even though that was the first thing we made, it wasn’t dinner. We decided to prepare an Indian feast. When it comes to Indian food, my favorite thing has to be samosas. I can make a pretty good curry at home, but sometimes it feels like it is missing the point if there isn’t a big meaty samosa there too, which is why I’ve taken to ordering Indian takeout more regularly than I make it.

But, since I would not be endeavoring to create them on my own, I decided we had to have them for our cooking night. And the adventure began!

Sure, they’re time consuming. Any time you make more than a dozen of something, it is going to take awhile. But, they were really yummy and worth it. And really, it didn’t take any longer than spring rolls do.

I found this recipe on Food and Wine, but it was originally for lamb samosas. I didn’t have any lamb at home though, so I went with beef. It also only called for 1/4 pound of lamb, and I usually don’t bother with recipes with so little meat. So, I made this with a pound and doubled all the seasonings. I ended up with leftover filling, but it was a very good thing. I ended up using it to make an Indian fried rice the next night with the leftover basmati rice and some fried eggs and it was so good!

Now I know that awesome samosas are attainable in my own home. Next time I might try to make them with puff pastry. I would also glaze them before baking with an egg white wash for a prettier finish, but these were pretty darn yummy as is.

Potato and Beef Samosas

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium all-purpose potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and a big pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup thawed frozen baby peas
One 15-ounce package pie crusts

note: It will be easiest if you prep the onion, potato, and seasonings before you start.

1. In a medium skillet, heat tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the beef and cook over moderately high heat until browned. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate. Add the onion to the skillet along with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Return the beef to the skillet, add the potato and cook until sizzling. Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, just until slightly darkened, about 4 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring, to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat until the meat and potato are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the peas and season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie crusts, 1 at a time, to a bare 1/8-inch thickness and cut out a total of 40 rounds with a 2-inch round biscuit cutter. (I used a 3 inch tea cup and made about 30.) Lightly brush the rounds with water, top with a scant teaspoon of the filling and fold in half. Seal the edges a fork. Transfer the samosas to a large baking sheet .

4. Bake the samosas for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Serve hot or at room temperature.

To go with all these yummy samosas, we made a spicy mint raita. This has to be the easiest condiment I’ve come across lately and I’m very excited by it. Every time I order Indian food, I love the little tub of green sauce and now I know how to make it. And what is more, you are about to as well.

Spicy mint Raita

One bunch of mint leaves
One jalepeno, top removed
1/4 cup white vinigar
1 personal sized tub of plain yogurt.
Salt and pepper to taste

Blend first three ingredients. Blend in yogurt. Taste and adjust seasonings and enjoy!

Can’t get much easier than that and it is delicious. I actually learned how to make that a few months ago when my beau and I took an Indian cooking class. The class itself was hilarious, as we had no idea going in that it would consist mostly of women in their 60s. They provided wine, which we were the only ones to drink, and we had a good time despite the bizarre crew. The food was fabulous and I look forward to trying the rest of the recipes soon.

You can also see the rice and the delicious marinated Indian chicken in the pictures that we had. Delicious. I love cooking with friends, which makes me very excited about our upcoming Friends’ Thanksgiving Food Extravaganza. I can’t wait to spend the day cooking and eating and taking pictures.

Happy holidays to us all!