Pesto Potato Rolls Recipes

POTATO ROLLS

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in warm water in a bowl. Let stand until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Mix milk, mashed potatoes, shortening or butter (see Cook's Note), sugar, and salt together in a bowl; add yeast mixture and egg. Stir 2 cups flour into the milk mixture until incorporated. Stir in remaining 2 cups flour to make a soft dough.
• Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat all sides of dough with oil. Cover bowl and put in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down and shape into a ball. Cover the bowl and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Shape dough into 24 rolls and place onto prepared baking sheets; let rise until dough springs back when you touch the side of a roll with your fingertip, about 25 to 40 minutes.
• Bake rolls in the preheated oven until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

POTATO AND PESTO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin with olive oil. Slice the potatoes about 1/4 inch thick and place in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add the pesto or pistou. Stir the mixture until the potato slices are evenly coated, then transfer to the baking dish, making sure to scrape all of the pesto out of the bowl.
• Cover the baking dish with foil or a lid and place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes, then uncover and return to the oven. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are thoroughly tender, the olive oil in the dish - now a beautiful green - is sizzling, and the top is beginning to color. Serve hot or warm.

CHEESE & PESTO WHIRLS

Steps:

• Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and 1½ tsp fine salt in a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of a tabletop mixer. Measure out 300ml warm water and add roughly 280ml to the flour, along with the olive oil, and start mixing until the ingredients start to clump together as a dough. If the dough seems a little dry, add the remaining water. Once combined, knead for 10 mins by hand on your work surface, or for 5 mins on a medium speed in a mixer. The dough is ready when it feels soft, springy and elastic. Clean the bowl, drizzle in a little oil, then pop the dough back in, turning it over and coating the sides of the bowl in oil. Cover with some oiled cling film and set aside in a warm place to double in size - this will take 1-3 hrs, depending on the temperature.
• Line a baking tray with parchment. Uncover the dough and punch it down a couple of times with your fist, knocking out all the air bubbles. Tip out onto a floured work surface and dust the top with a little flour too, if it is sticky. Roll the dough out to a rectangle, roughly 40 x 30cm. Spread the pesto over the dough, then scatter over the tomatoes, both cheeses and the basil. Roll the dough up from one of the longer sides, into a long sausage.
• Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 12 even pieces. Place on the baking tray, cut-side up, in a 3-by-4 formation, making sure the open end of each roll is tucked in towards the centre on the arrangement - this will prevent them from uncoiling during cooking. Leave a little space between each roll as they will grow and touch as they prove. Loosely cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for 30 mins-1 hr until almost doubled in size again. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Uncover the bread when it is puffed up. Bake on the middle shelf in the oven for 35-40 mins until golden brown and the centre looks dry and not doughy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least 10 mins.