Hi friends! Today I’m sharing a fun and flavorful recipe I made with pickled onions yes, you heard that right! These aren’t just any pickled onions they’re sweet, tangy, and cooked with a little honey until they’re golden and sticky. Yum! I teamed up with Sarson’s, the UK’s #1 vinegar and pickling brand, to make this Potatoes and Hellim Börek, also known as Patates ve Hellim Böreği. It’s crispy on the outside, soft and cheesy on the inside, and bursting with sweet onion goodness on top. You’re going to love it!
Method
Preheat the Oven
First, set your oven to 200°C if using a fan oven or 220°C for a regular oven. You want your oven nice and hot so the puff pastry bakes up golden and crisp.
Make the Filling
Crack one egg into a large mixing bowl and whisk it with a fork. Then add the finely chopped pickled sweet onions, mashed potatoes, grated hellim cheese, chopped parsley, dried mint, pul biber, a pinch of sea salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Use a spoon or your hands to mix everything together really well. This mixture will be your filling it should be soft, flavorful, and a little sticky. Set it aside while you prepare the pastry.
Prepare the Puff Pastry
Take your rolled sheet of puff pastry and cut it into four equal pieces. Lay each piece on a big sheet of parchment paper, and place the paper on a large baking tray. Now it’s time to create a border: use a knife to lightly score a line around the edge of each pastry square, about 2 centimeters in from the sides. This border will puff up when baking and help hold the filling in the center.
Add the Filling and Egg Wash
Spoon the potato and hellim filling into the center of each pastry square, spreading it out gently but keeping it inside the border. Next, whisk your second egg in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to paint the egg wash around the exposed edges of the pastry this will help them turn golden and shiny in the oven. After brushing, sprinkle the sesame seeds and nigella seeds around the edges for extra flavor and crunch.
Make the Honey Onions
In a separate bowl, mix the finely sliced pickled sweet onions with the runny honey. Stir them together gently until the onions are coated in the sweet glaze. Carefully spoon some of the honeyed onions on top of the filling in each pastry piece. They will caramelize in the oven and become sticky and golden.
Bake the Börek
Now for the fun part drizzle olive oil generously over the top of each börek, then place the tray in the hot oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden, and the tops are lightly browned. If your oven cooks unevenly, you can rotate the tray halfway through for even baking.
Finish and Serve
When the börek is done baking, take the tray out and let it cool for a few minutes. If you’d like, you can top each one with a bit more fresh parsley, a pinch of pul biber, and a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for a fresh finish. Now they’re ready to serve crispy, cheesy, sweet, and totally delicious.
Necessary Tools
- Large mixing bowl
- Chopping board and knife
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Pastry brush
- Spoon or spatula
- Oven
Potatoes and Hellim Börek with Honey Pickled Onions
Cuisine: TurkishDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes25
minutes40
minutesIngredients
4 pickled sweet onions, finely chopped
250g cooked mashed potatoes
125g halloumi (hellim), finely grated
1 heaped tsp dried mint
25g fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp pul biber (Turkish chili flakes)
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 sheet (320g) puff pastry, rolled and cut into 4 pieces
2 eggs
10 pickled sweet onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tsp sesame seeds
1/8 tsp Nigella seeds
A good drizzle of olive oil
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C fan or 220°C regular.
- In a large bowl, crack one egg and whisk it.
- Add the finely chopped sweet onions, mashed potato, grated hellim, parsley, mint, pul biber, salt, and pepper. Mix it all really well and set it aside.
- Lay the puff pastry pieces on parchment paper, and place them on a baking tray.
- Score a border around each piece (about 2cm from the edges) to help the sides puff up.
- Spoon the potato mixture into the center of each piece.
- Whisk the second egg and brush it along the edges. Sprinkle sesame and nigella seeds on the borders.
- In a small bowl, mix the sliced onions and honey, then pile some on top of each börek filling.
- Drizzle a bit of olive oil over everything.
- Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
- Optional: Top with extra parsley, pul biber, and a final drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- Don’t skip scoring the pastry edges this helps the border puff up nicely.
- Make sure your mashed potatoes are cooled before mixing, so they don’t cook the egg too soon.
- Don’t overload the filling it can make the pastry soggy.
- Watch your oven time if the edges get too brown too fast, you can lightly cover them with foil halfway through.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve warm with a side of yogurt or tzatziki
- Add a fresh green salad for a light lunch
- Great for picnics, lunchboxes, or weekend brunch
Fun Fact
Hellim is another name for halloumi cheese, and it’s super popular in Cyprus and Turkey! It doesn’t melt like other cheese, so it stays nice and chewy when cooked. That makes it perfect for stuffing pastries!
Conclusion
I loved making this Potato and Hellim Börek with sweet honey-pickled onions it’s cozy, cheesy, and has just the right crunch and sweetness on top. If you haven’t cooked with pickled onions before, this is the perfect recipe to try something new. Let me know if you give it a go happy cooking, friends!
