Greek Recipes, Pites with home-made fillo
Ruth’s Patatopita – Greek Potato and Fillo Pie Recipe with Feta and Olives
POTATO, OLIVE, AND ROSEMARY PIE WITH VILLAGE PASTRY
Πατατόπιτα με ελιά και δεντρολίβανο με χωριάτικο φύλλο
A recipe generously shared by Ruth Bardis for the Meri Month of May 2022
from her new cookbook Simply More Greek
This recipe is from Metsovo – a town in the northwestern part of Greece prized for its production of cheese. This recipe is a potato pie flavored with cheeses, rosemary, and olives. The fillo pastry for this recipe is a very thin fillo, also known as a village pastry (χωριάτικο). The method we use here to prepare our fillo produces sheets that are even thinner than regular village pastry, and the resulting pita is even crispier and crunchier.
Photography by Ruth Bardis
Ruth's Patatopita - Greek Potato and Fillo Pie Recipe with Olives and Feta
Ingredients
Fillo Dough
- 350 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1½ tsp salt
- 600 g all-purpose flour
Fillo Rolling
- Corn flour (corn starch)
- EVOO
Filling
- 800 g potatoes, roughly 7–8 medium sized, boiled and roughly mashed
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp oregano, dried
- 80 g Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- ¼ cup spring onion, chopped finely
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup kefalograviera or other yellow hard cheese, grated
Instructions
Preparing the fillo dough
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Put the water, vinegar, oil, salt and half the flour in a bowl
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Using a wooden spoon, mix together, adding the remaining flour little by little until a soft, pliable dough is formed - you may not require all the flour
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If it is too sticky, keep adding flour - if it is too dry, add 1–2 tablespoons water
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Place the pastry onto a floured workbench and knead by hand for a further 5–10 minutes
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Divide the dough into 8-10 balls weighing roughly 90–100g (3.1oz.) each
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Dip each ball into corn flour, place on a tray and set aside covered with plastic wrap for 30 minutes
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To prepare the fillo sheets, take one ball at a time and place on a floured workbench
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Using a thin dowel (or rolling pin), gently roll out into a large circle or square, a little larger than the baking dish - this fillo is incredibly soft, so be gentle when pressing down on the fillo with the dowel
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Sprinkle extra corn flour to prevent the fillo from sticking to your work surface or the dowel
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You will use half the balls for the bottom and half for the top
Preparing the filling
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Peel, cut, and boil potatoes in water until very soft
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Drain and place into a bowl - allow to cool completely
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With a fork, break up the potatoes until they are mashed, and then add all the filling ingredients and mix to combine well
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Set aside
Preparing the patatopita
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Preheat oven to 170º C/340º F fan-forced
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Line a baking tray 37cm (14.56 in.) in diameter with parchment paper and lay down the first fillo sheet – allowing excess to overhang the pan
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Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil on top, and then repeat with half the sheets, oiling between each one
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Spread the filling evenly into the pan and fold over the overhanging fillo to hold the filling in
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Roll out the next fillo sheet and place it completely in the pan, scrunching all the extra fillo on the top to create a ruffled effect
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Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil on top and repeat with the remaining sheets of dough, oiling each layer
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Drizzle olive oil on top and score with a sharp knife into desired squares or slices.
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Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown
Serving the patatopita
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Serve warm or at room temperature. Best eaten the day it is made.
Kali Orexi!
Key Points
- Kefalograviera cheese can be purchased at European grocers - parmesan cheese can be used as a substitute or any other hard yellow cheese