Mashed Potato Puffs

Part 1 of all the lovely snacks I made for Aaron’s birthday party yesterday comes from my own imagination. I bought puff pastry sheets from Trader Joe’s a couple of weeks ago because I couldn’t find phyllo dough and really wanted to do some kind of puff. These came up when planning all the appetizers I wanted to do for the party. I love the idea of potatoes, cheese and garlic together on a puff pastry (hey! Those are all the things I love together just like I said in my bio!).

Anyway, the recipe is based on Aaron’s and really, any recipe would do. If you have a fave, go with that. This one was really good though.

This is what I did:

8 medium potatoes (4 blue, 4 white)
3 Tb. unsalted butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
Large splash of milk
Salt and ground pepper to taste
½ c. Monterey jack cheese, grated



Wash and peel potatoes. Cut in half or quarters.



Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Toss in the potatoes and cook until a fork goes in easily, about 10 minutes or so. While the potatoes are boiling, take the puff pastry sheets out of the freezer and thaw. Drain the potatoes and place in a bowl (I used my mixer) with the butter. Blend and add milk until a consistency you enjoy has been achieved. I have absolutely no idea how much I added, but it was great. Mix in salt and pepper to taste, garlic, and cheese.

Heat oven to 400 degrees.



With a sharp knife, cut pastry into squares and place on a greased baking sheet. Spoon mashed potatoes onto the middle of each piece. Bake in hot oven for about 20-25 minutes. The package said 15, but the pastry really wasn’t puffy or crispy enough at that point. Just check and watch until the pastry looks good.

Serve immediately and snag some before everyone else eats them.