Mini potato apples with cheddar

Potato apples where part of my childhood growing up in the North of Ireland, my Mum would have bought them around Halloween in the home bakery in our village. They are strongly associated with Autumn and Halloween because that is when apples are in season in Ireland. Since I’ve been making these for our events - we often serve them as a canape at supper clubs - lots of my guests have told me they are part of their Halloween traditions too.

Potato apples as basically potato bread (mashed potato with some flour added) with a filling of tart cooking apples. They are then cooked in a dry pan, and can be served immediately often cut open and then some butter added to the middle. Traditional potato apples are much larger and would have been served as a simple lunch or supper but these snack-size ones are cute. The cheese is my own addition as I love apples and cheese together!

Makes 16 or 24. If using for a canape make 24 – in this case each ball of potato dough should weigh approx. 30g

600g potatoes (500g once peeled)
40g butter
Salt
White pepper
1 egg
250g plain flour

For the filling:

3-4 cooking apples, about 500g
Juice ½ lemon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
150g cheddar cut into small cubes
Black pepper

Peel the potatoes and chop into equal sized but chunky pieces. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, salt the water generously, add the potatoes and boil until they can be easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Strain the potatoes and return them to the hot pan on a low heat for a few minutes to help them dry.

While still hot mash the potatoes until smooth, (or use a potato ricer), beat in the butter and season well with salt and white pepper. Allow the potatoes to cool.

Meanwhile make the filling. Peel the apples and chop into small chunks. Put them in a saucepan with the lemon juice and teaspoon butter. Add a cartouche and a lid and cook over a medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, checking every so often. Add a splash of water if it looks dry. Cook until soft but not completely runny. Stir in the sugar and cook for another minute to dissolve. Taste and add more sugar if needed.

Add the egg to the dough and then the flour. Knead for a minute or two until smooth. Divide the dough into two pieces and roll the first into a long sausage and divide it into 8, each piece should weigh about 45g. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten into a circle about 10cm wide. You can use a small rolling pin for this. Add a dollop of apple filling, a couple of cubes of cheese and a grind of black pepper. Fold in half to make a half moon shape and seal with the prongs of a fork or just press together. Put the finished potato apples on a well-floured tray.

Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan or a cast-iron griddle over a high heat. Once hot reduce the heat to medium high and cook the potato apples on the griddle, turning them until all sides are golden and they are hot through. Serve warm.

You can make these in advance and later reheat them in an oven at 160°C for about 10 minutes or you gently fry them in butter to reheat.

Serve as they are or with a dollop of chutney or sour cream for dipping.

Note on dietary requirements: The can easily be made vegan by replacing the butter with a vegan alternative, replacing the the egg with 2 tablespoons of aquafaba and omitting the cheese. They are still delicious I have also made them gluten free by replacing the flour with gluten-free flour, but they are much more delicate and the potato dough will tear easily so you must be careful when frying them