AUSTRIAN POTATO STRUDEL

AUSTRIAN POTATO STRUDEL image

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

Serves 6
1 lb (500 grams) floury potatoes, like Russet, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 cup (250 grams) Quark
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons fresh mint, minced (optional)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or oil
3.5 ounces (100 grams) lean bacon, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
2 sheets of prepared strudel dough or phyllo dough (do not use puff pastry dough)

Steps:

1. Preheat your oven to 390 degrees F or 200 degrees C. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Throw in the cubed potatoes and the caraway and cook until tender, about 10 or 15 minutes. Drain and put the cubed potatoes back in the pot. Some caraway will have gone out with the water, but some will still be stuck to the potatoes. Mash loosely with a fork. Mix in the Quark until well combined, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the minced mint into the potatoes. Set aside. 2. Heat a tablespoon of butter or oil in a skillet and add the bacon. If using regular bacon, you can simply render its fat in the skillet without using any additional fat. Add the leek and onion and sauté, stirring, until glossy and wilted, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. 3. Mix the egg into the potatoes and then the bacon-leek mixture. Combine well. 4. Unfold one dough sheet on a damp towel. Brush with some of the remaining melted butter. Unfold the second sheet over the first and, again, brush with the rest of the melted butter. Spread the potatoes over the second sheet evenly, leaving room at the edge of the dough. Do not overfill - leftover mashed potatoes are delicious if fried into croquettes the next day. 5. Using the damp towel to assist you, gently lift one edge of the strudel and begin rolling it over the filling. "Glue" the edges to the side of the roll and arrange the strudel, seam-side down, on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Beat the egg yolk and brush the strudel thoroughly with the egg yolk. 6. Bake the strudel for 30 minutes, until the strudel pastry is shiny, golden brown and crackling. Remove from the oven, setting the pan on a cooling rack. Slice into thick pieces and serve immediately, with a green salad.