Flaky Sesame Bourekas with Potato, Feta & Kashkaval

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Shatteringly flaky puff pastry triangles stuffed with a salty potato-and-cheese filling, brushed with egg and showered in sesame and nigella seeds — the handheld pastry you find stacked warm in Israeli bakeries. Store-bought all-butter puff pastry does the heavy lifting; the trick is a filling that's dry enough to stay put and seasoned hard enough to stand up to all that pastry. Serve them hot with grated tomato and a jammy egg.

Ingredients

• 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the potato water
• 5 oz feta cheese, crumbled (sheep's milk if possible)
• 3 oz kashkaval cheese, coarsely grated (or provolone / low-moisture mozzarella)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric (optional, for color)
• Kosher salt, to taste

• 2 sheets all-butter puff pastry, thawed but cold (about 1 lb / 490 g total)
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp water
• 3 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp nigella seeds (optional)
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

• 3 large eggs, hard-boiled and halved
• 2 medium ripe tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• Pickles or zhoug, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Put the potato chunks in a saucepan, cover with cold water by 1 inch, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Drain very well, then return the potatoes to the dry hot pot and set over low heat for 1 minute, shaking, to steam off surface moisture — a dry filling is what keeps bourekas from leaking.
2. Mash the potatoes smooth with the butter while still hot (no milk or cream — moisture is the enemy). Let cool 10 minutes, then fold in the feta, kashkaval, parsley, black pepper, and turmeric. Taste and add salt only if needed; the cheeses are salty. Spread the filling on a plate and refrigerate 15 minutes so it firms up. You should have about 2 1/2 cups.
3. Heat the oven to 400°F and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. Beat the egg with 1 teaspoon water for the wash.
4. On a lightly floured counter, gently roll each cold puff pastry sheet into a roughly 12-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut each sheet into 6 rectangles (3 across, 2 down), for 12 pieces total. Work with one sheet at a time and keep the other refrigerated.
5. Mound a scant 3 tablespoons of filling on one half of each rectangle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the border with egg wash, fold the pastry over to make a rectangle or triangle, and press the edges firmly with your fingertips, then crimp all around with a fork. Do not overfill — the seal matters more than the size.
6. Arrange the bourekas 2 inches apart on the sheets. Chill the assembled pastries 15 minutes in the refrigerator (or 8 minutes in the freezer) so the butter is firm going into the oven — this is what makes them puff into distinct layers.
7. Brush the tops generously with egg wash, then sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds, nigella seeds, and flaky salt. Cut one small vent slit in the top of each with the tip of a knife.
8. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the sheets and swapping racks at the 15-minute mark, until deeply golden brown, puffed, and crisp on the bottom. Pale bourekas are doughy bourekas — take them to a real brown.
9. While they bake, make the tomato dip: grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater down to the skin, discarding the skins. Stir in the grated garlic, olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
10. Let the bourekas rest 10 minutes on the pan — the filling is molten straight out of the oven. Serve warm with the grated tomato, halved hard-boiled eggs, and pickles or zhoug alongside.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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