Thanksgiving Samosas

It’s hard to believe that it is November already. It has been the longest and fastest year, if you know what I mean. I had the idea for this edition of “In the Kitchen” after eating an Indian dish known as samosas. Samosas are dough filled with potatoes, peas, onions and spices, then deep fried till golden brown. They are served with a chutney sauce. I decided that combining Thanksgiving leftovers inside leftover pie crust could be the ultimate Americanized version. There were some debates in trials whether they should be served with chutney or gravy, so I’ll leave that up to you to decide. 

Ingredients

For the Pies:

Enough dough for 2 (9 in.) pies

Leftover turkey, mashed 

potatoes, stuffing

For the chutney:

½ c. cranberry sauce

2 tbsp. fresh orange juice, 

and zest of one orange

1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. minced onion

Pinch of salt and pepper

For frying:

1 large container of vegetable oil

A stove top dutch oven or a heavy bottomed 

pan to deep fry in

Candy thermometer 

Directions

1. Roll pie crust into a thin layer. I used a large biscuit cutter to cut out circles. 

2. Take a small amount of each leftover and place inside the circle. Fold and seal all the edges.

3. Repeat until you’re out of leftovers or pie dough. Set in the fridge while you wait for the oil to heat.

4. Once finished, place oil in a pan over medium heat with the thermometer hooked to the side of the pan. Heat oil until it reaches 350 degrees.

5. While oil is heating, make the chutney.

6. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Depending on your preference you can have it hot or cold. I liked it cold, but my husband likes it better warmed up. If you choose to warm it, place in a small saucepan over low heat until it is warmed through.

7. Next to your oil pan have a cookie sheet with a cooling rack with paper towels underneath ready. 

8. Once oil reaches temperature, remove pies from the fridge and begin frying. 

9. Fry until golden brown then flip and repeat on the other side.

10. Serve immediately. 

Notes:

• You can add other leftover favorites into your hand pies if you desire. We’ve tried them with green bean casserole and gravy added to the inside, too.

• You can use store bought or homemade cranberry sauce for the chutney. Just make sure to get whole berries if using store bought. 

• You can buy puff pastry sheets from the freezer section of the grocery store to use for the crust. Make sure to roll it very thin.