Thyme Grilled Mushroom, Goat’s Cheese & Sage Encased In Spinach & Puff Pastry Recipe

Preheat and prepare

Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) / 400°F / gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

Cook spinach

Heat a large dry frying pan over medium heat. Add the spinach in batches and wilt until just collapsed, about 1–2 minutes per batch. Remove to a sieve and press gently with the back of a spoon to remove excess water. Once cool, chop coarsely and transfer to a bowl.

Sauté mushrooms

In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer (do in two batches if needed) and cook without moving for 2 minutes to brown, then stir and continue for 3–4 minutes until golden and most liquid has evaporated. Add minced garlic, chopped thyme and shredded sage leaves; cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Assemble filling

Combine the wilted spinach, sautéed mushrooms with herbs, and goat's cheese in a bowl. Add lemon zest and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; mix gently so the goat's cheese is still slightly chunky — the texture should be creamy but not liquidy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reserve about 4–6 whole sage leaves for garnish if desired.

Prepare pastry

Lightly dust your work surface with the plain flour. Unroll the puff pastry and, if making one large roast, form into a rectangle roughly 30 x 25 cm; for two smaller parcels divide pastry in half. Spoon the filling into the centre of the pastry leaving a 2 cm border. Shape into a compact log or mound about 3–4 cm high. Fold the long sides of the pastry over the filling, then fold the ends under and pinch to seal. Turn seam-side down on the lined tray. Trim any excess pastry and press to seal well.

Egg wash and scoring

Brush the entire parcel with beaten egg. Using a sharp knife, score a few shallow diagonal lines across the top for decoration and vents, taking care not to cut through. Place reserved sage leaves on top, pressing lightly so they adhere to the egg wash.

Bake

Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes (for one large parcel) or 25–30 minutes (for smaller individual parcels) until the pastry is golden brown and puffed and internal filling is hot. If the pastry is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil for the last 10 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for 8–10 minutes before slicing to help the filling set.

While the oven is warming, parboil the potatoes in salted water: add potatoes to a pan of cold salted water, bring to a boil, then simmer for 8–10 minutes until the edges are just softened but centres still firm. Drain well and shake the pan gently to rough up the surfaces — this helps create crispiness.

Place the roasting tray in the preheated oven for 3–4 minutes with the olive oil so the oil heats (careful). Remove tray, add the parboiled potatoes, turn to coat in hot oil, add crushed garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 40–50 minutes, turning every 15 minutes, until deeply golden and crisp outside and tender inside.

During the last 10 minutes of cooking, remove garlic skins if desired and baste the potatoes with the oil pooled on the tray. When cooked, transfer to a warmed dish and discard rosemary sprigs and garlic skins.

Prepare the seasonal vegetables so that harder vegetables (parsnips, carrots) are cut smaller and roast-ready while quick-cooking items (broccoli, tenderstem) are left larger or added later. Toss vegetables in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper.

If roasting root vegetables, add them to the same tray as the potatoes for the first 25–35 minutes so they get crispy and caramelised; add quicker-cooking vegetables for the final 10–15 minutes so everything finishes together. Alternatively, roast separately at 200°C for 20–30 minutes depending on size, turning halfway.

When vegetables are tender and slightly caramelised, remove from oven and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if using. Keep warm until serving.