SPICY 7 LAYERED BAKED PASTRIES

1 large russet (or any) potato
1 tablespoon melted ghee or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
7 phyllo pastry sheets (about 1/4 pound)
1/4 to 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter or vegetable oil

Boil the potato in lightly salted water to cover until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, let cool, then peel and mash in a small bowl.

Heat the oil in a small non-stick wok or saucepan over medium-high heat and add the cumin seeds; they should sizzle upon contact with the hot oil.

Quickly add the mashed potato, garam masala, cayenne pepper, asafoetida, and salt, and stir until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool.

Baste each phyllo sheet generously with the melted butter and stack one on top of the other on a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut lengthwise into 4 equal strips, about 3 inches wide, cutting through all 7 sheets. Cut each strip in half crosswise and then cut each half in half again to make a total of 16 rectangles, each made up of 7 layers. Cover with a damp (not wet) clean cotton kitchen towel.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

With a rolling pin, lightly roll each rectangular stack of 7 layers to make sure the layers adhere to each other properly.

Brush the top layer with butter and place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center. Fold in half to, cover the filling. Press the edges well to seal in the filling. Repeat with the remaining rectangles.

Brush the top and bottom layers of the samosas generously with butter once again and place on the baking sheet.

Bake until crispy and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks. Serve.

VARIATION:
Drain out most of the juices from Basic Green Chutney and use about 1/2 teaspoon in place of the mashed potato. Or apply a scant layer of the chuthey along with the butter on each layer in Step 3 and then bake the samosas.

Makes 16 pieces