One of the best things about the Christmas period is that you have an excuse to make recipes like this cheese and onion plait (in case you needed an excuse).
Potatoes.
Cheese.
Pastry.
It's not exactly health food - in fact it's more of a carb fest, with plenty of cheese thrown in for good measure. But that's what Christmas is for, no?
My favourite thing about this recipe is that it looks super fancy - serve this up to your family at Christmas and even your great uncle Jim who thinks vegetarians are weird will be impressed - they don't ever need to know that making the plait shape is actually really easy.
All you need to do is to shape your filling into a log down the middle of your pastry, then make slits at an angle on either side (...the photo below will do a much better job at explaining). Then, alternating from side to side, just fold one strip at a time across the cheesy filling, sticking it down with a little bit of milk.
The whole process is extremely forgiving, so don't worry if you're not the neatest person in the world (who, me?)! If you need to, you can pull and stretch the strips right over the filling. It doesn't matter if you pull them out of shape a bit. Once it's all puffed up you shouldn't be able to tell - and even if you can, nobody's going to be inspecting your handiwork too carefully! The overall effect is still something pretty impressive.
Of course, this cheese and onion plait isn't only about looking good - it tastes amazing too! Oodles of sautéed onions and mature cheddar cheese, all held together by smooth mashed potato. It's like a huge cheese and onion pasty - but much more elegant!
Don't forget the gravy!
📖 Printable Recipe
Cheese and onion plait
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 600 g potatoes I left mine unpeeled
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 onions halved then sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon milk plus more for glazing the pastry
- 150 g cheddar cheese grated
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Plain flour for dusting
- 250 g puff pastry
Instructions
- Cut the potatoes into chunks, and boil in a pan of water until very soft.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the onions and garlic. Cook over a medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until very soft but not browned.
- When the potatoes are soft, drain them, and add the 2tbsp of milk. Mash to your desired consistency. Add the onions and grated cheese, and mix well. Season with some salt and plenty of black pepper. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a rectangle - I used a pre-rolled sheet, but still rolled it out a little further. Shape the potato filling into a log along the centre of the pastry, leaving a few inches of pastry along two opposite sides, and just a centimetre or so along the other two sides.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the excess pastry at a slight angle into strips (my strips were about 1cm wide) - see photos. Alternating from side to side, fold the strips across to the centre of the filling, and stick them down with a dab of milk. Tuck the ends in neatly, again sealing with a little milk (you might need to cut of a bit of excess pastry at the ends).
- Brush the whole plait lightly with milk, and bake at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F) for around 45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crispy.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Mali Klauseth says
I made this for Christmas (among with other stuff), I added 250g of mushroom and reduced the amount of onion, soo yummy :)
Becca Heyes says
Sounds fab, and I'm so honoured that you made my recipe for Christmas dinner!
Ali says
What would the plait be accompanied with
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I'd personally serve it with some roasted veggies and roast potatoes, with gravy on top!
Katrina says
Any ideas on how to make this ahead? Could I assemble it and refrigerate for a couple hours before baking, or would that make the pastry soggy?
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I've not tried it myself, but I imagine you could assemble it a couple of hours before baking, sure :) Just make sure the filling is completely cooled before you add it to the pastry. Or if you want to make the filling a day or two in advance, you could store it in the fridge and then just add it to the pastry soon before baking.
Heather says
I love dishes that look difficult but are simple. I'm going to substitute cauliflower mash for the potato mash to make it lower carb.
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
Sounds great, enjoy!
Heather says
This looks so pretty I have to make it for Sunday dinner! To make it lower carb and a tad healthier, I'm going to substitute the potato mash for cauliflower mash.
kellie@foodtoglow says
I love the occasional carb fest - if I am in charge of the carbs! This is definitely worth the splurge. :-)