So, let us talk carbs. Everyone loves a rustic, homestyle recipe that incorporates flavour and ease. Krompir pita is the embodiment of that. This delicious pastry reigns supreme in the Balkans with different variants of filling. Having said this, my heart will always belong with the potato pita.
Now you might be wondering, what exactly do I need to purchase to make this? This will of course depend on the size and amount you are choosing to make and if you are to make your own dough or buy sheets of ready-made phyllo. Both are completely acceptable options and will create this delicious snack.
For the filling:
1 medium sized brown onion
1kg of selected potatoes
1 heaped tablespoon of butter (or vegan substitute)
Garlic salt & pepper to taste
It should be noted that I made two large pitas with this amount but if you prefer you can make a numerous amount of smaller snack sized pitas. This recipe can be adjusted to your preferences which is what makes it so great.
For the dough (if making the phyllo yourself):
300 grams of all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ - ¾ of a cup of water
If not, phyllo sheets are perfectly wonderful. For those who are creating their own dough and are not familiar with how to do so, you can click the link here to see my recipe for specifically that.
Assembling the krompir pita:
Prep the potatoes by washing, peeling and cutting them into quarters. Place half into a pan drizzled with olive oil and pan fry until the potatoes are soft in the middle with a crisp skin. Once these are looking golden brown, put in a mixing bowl and put to the side.
Place the other half of the peeled and uncooked potato into a pot of boiling water and cook until soft. Once these are boiled, drain the water and roughly mash these until they are a smooth yet chunky mixture. Whilst mashing the potato, mix in a heaped tablespoon of butter and season with garlic salt and black pepper. Be sure to do this whilst the potato is still warm, it will ensure that the butter melts into the potato and gives it that creamy flavour. Once this mixture is complete, scoop and mix it with the pan-fried potato that was previously put aside.
On a clean and clear counter, lay the phyllo sheets horizontally. Using a spoon trail a line of mixture following the horizontal edge of the phyllo sheet stopping about an inch to half inch from the end.
Fold each end of the sheet in on itself covering the potato mixture, trapping it in the pastry. Once the ends have been folded in, roll the phyllo sheet vertically, starting from the side where you have placed the potato mixture. The phyllo sheet should now be cylindrical like a sausage with the mixture of potato trapped inside of the pastry. Once this has been achieved roll the pastry in on itself until it is a coiled shape.
At this point in time you will want to preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. If your oven is not fan forced, turn it slightly higher preferably to 200.
Once this is in a coiled shape, place on a lined baking or greased baking tray and use a basting brush to glaze the top with olive oil. In my image I have sprinkled additional sesame seeds for aesthetic pleasure and texture, but this is completely optional.
Assuming that your oven is preheated, cook your pita until they are golden and crisp.
Traditionally, we serve it with plain unsweetened yoghurt but this can be swapped out for sour cream if you prefer. Naturally there are a variety of options when creating these but this is definitely my favourite. I'd love to hear your thoughts, please comment down below with any adaptations or alterations that you found to be delicious and most of all, happy cooking!
Brooke xx
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