Potato bourekas (aka boreks) are a true Israeli treat with flaky pastry surrounding a delicious potato filling. Other than defrosting time for the puff pastry, this recipe can be assembled in about 10 minutes, with under 5 ingredients (if you don’t count the salt and pepper)!
As a busy mom of three, I love exposing my girls to flavors from around the world when I can and filled pastry is found all around the world. Almost every culture has some version of bourekas from empanadas and bao buns to dumplings and pierogi.
Instead of making individual little packages of puff pastry and potato (I save that for my potato puff appetizers), my simple method is to make one big potato boureka and then cut it into pieces. Saves so much time and energy and tastes just as good.
Use Instant Mashed Potatoes
The other reason you must make puff pastry potato bourekas right now, is that I totally hack the filling. Much like when I make my potato puffs, I use instant mashed potatoes in this recipe. It makes this side dish super simple and allows you to easily prep the filling while the sheets of puff pastry are defrosting! Score one for the good guys 👍!
Ingredients
A few notes on the ingredients:
- Potato filling: While I use instant mashed potatoes to keep things simple, you can absolutely use regular homemade mashed potatoes here. This would be a great way to repurpose Thanksgiving or any other meals mashed potato leftovers!
- Puff pastry sheets: I always buy Pepperidge Farm puff pastry. If you live near an outlet, they often have it by the case (sounds excessive I know) at a greatly reduced price. It lasts a long time in the freezer, so it may be worth it to purchase in bulk. You can always use homemade pastry if you are looking for a more involved project.
Simple step by step instructions
First, you’ll want to take the puff pastry out of the freezer to start defrosting. If you take it out of the package and leave it on your counter it takes about 45 minutes or so to get to the right temperature for this recipe. You can also defrost it overnight in the fridge.
Then you’ll want to make your filling mixture. Follow the directions for the instant mashed potatoes on the side of the box. You’ll want this filling on the thicker side so go light on the liquid. You’ll also add in any optional flavors/spices/ingredients at this point.
Once your puff pastry sheet is defrosted and your filling is ready, it’s time to assemble.
Roll out the puff pastry just a bit. Then put you filling in the center section. Fold in the other sections over the filling, and then flip over so that the seam is on the bottom.
Optional step: If you want to get fancy, use the tines of a fork to make a simple design on each end. This will also help seal in the filling.
Place the roll onto your parchment paper covered prepared sheet pan, brush with egg yolk wash and pop into the oven.
Once the potato borekas are golden brown on the outside and cooked through, take it out of the oven, let cool a few minutes, and then slice on the diagonal before serving
Variations
What’s cool about this recipe is that you can customize it however you like. Here are some add-ins that work really well:
- Roasted garlic: Smash up and mix into the potatoes. Or stir in some garlic butter and then brush it on top before baking.
- Caramelized onions: these bring a great depth of flavor the bourekas. Check out this caramelized onion tart recipe for how to make caramelized onions.
- Feta Cheese: mix right in with the potato mixture before filling the puff pastry.
- Shredded cheese: potatoes and cheddar cheese make a great pair and putting them together in this recipe is no different. Make potato cheese bourekas by just adding the shredded cheese to the mashed potato filling. If you want to get super fancy, chop up roasted broccoli and mix in for classic baked potato vibes.
- Facon: We keep kosher, so we use fake bacon (aka Facon) which is just beef bacon. Cook it up, chop it up and mix it into the potatoes for an added texture and flavor.
Serving Suggestions
- When you brush the top of the bourekas with egg wash, you can also add any toppings you like. Our favorite is everything but the bagel seasoning, but sesame seeds, poppy seeds, nigella seeds all work as well.
- Cut these on the diagonal for easy of cutting and to make things pretty...you can thank me later 😉
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely. Make them all the way through the recipe, bake and let cool. Once cooled, pop them into the freezer (unwrapped) until they are frozen solid.
Once they are totally frozen, wrap the bourekas tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and put them back into the freezer until you are ready to eat them.
When you are ready to reheat the bourekas, put them on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until they are warmed through. Keep an eye on the tops and if they are browning too quickly, cover them with foil for the remaining heating time.
Yes, and quite easily. The Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry is parve and I buy instant mashed potatoes that are dairy free. If the directions on your instant mashed potatoes call for milk or butter, you can EASILY swap these out for your favorite non-dairy alternatives.
I typically use soy milk and Country Crock plant based butter as my dairy free choices, but use what you have and what works for you!
Yes and it's quite easy. Simply cut the sheets of puff pastry into squares. In the center of each square, place a heaping tablespoon of the filling of your choice. Then, place another square of puff pastry on top, add a little water to the edges of the squares and seal. Bake as directed for the big bourekas.
Check out these other simple side dishes:
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📖 Recipe
Puff Pastry Potato Bourekas
Ingredients
- 2 sheets puff pastry (This is equivalent to one box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry that you can find in the frozen section of your grocery.)
- 2 cups instant mashed potatoes (Prepared according to package directions)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
Instructions
- Take the puff pastry out of the freezer and defrost according to package directions.
- While the puff pastry defrosts, prepare the instant mashed potatoes according to the directions.
- Turn the oven on 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Once the puff pastry is thawed, but still cold, assemble the bourekas by laying the puff pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Place one cup of the potato mixture down the middle ⅓ of the puff pastry. Then take one side and fold it completely over the filling. Then fold the remaining third of puff pastry over that and turn the whole boureka over so it's seam side down on the baking sheet.Then repeat with the second piece of puff pastry and second cup of potatoes.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg well and using a paper towel or a pastry brush, brush the egg over the tops of the bourekos. If you want to sprinkle a topping onto them, now is the time.
- Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
- One done baking, take them out of the oven and let them cool about 5 minutes on the baking tray, then slice and serve. They can also be served at room temperature.
Notes
- You can easily make these ahead of time and freeze them. To reheat, simple place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until heated through. Place a piece of aluminum foil on top if the top starts to get too dark before the center is hot.
- Use a long serrated knife to make clean cuts on the bourekas.
missy says
These were so easy to make! I loved adding the carmelized onion to them