If possible, choose long, slender potatoes with a diameter of about 2cm. Although all-butter puff has the best flavour, the only brand commonly available in Hong Kong is rolled too thin for this recipe. The second best option (after making your own) is the Pampas brand of puff pastry sheets.

This recipe was adapted from one in food writer Simon Hopkinson's book The Vegetarian Option.

500 grams potatoes

100ml double cream

2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped

?tsp fresh thyme leaves

25 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

120 grams Beaufort cheese

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sheets Pampas brand frozen puff pastry

Egg, for brushing onto the pastry

Wash the potatoes and put them in a saucepan large enough to hold them in one layer. Add enough cold water to cover them by 3cm then add 10 grams of salt and stir to dissolve. Put the pan over a medium flame and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are just tender enough to be pierced with a sharp knife. Drain off the water then rinse the potatoes under cold running water. Peel the potatoes while they are warm, then slice them about 5mm thick.

Heat the cream with the garlic, thyme leaves and ?teaspoon of salt. Bring to a simmer then pour through a strainer into a measuring jug and cool until tepid. Remove and discard the rind of the Beaufort cheese, then slice the cheese as thinly as possible. Whisk the egg with about 15ml of warm water. Remove the puff pastry from the freezer and leave to thaw for about five minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Put one sheet of puff pastry on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Using a mixing bowl or colander as a guide, lightly mark a 23cm circle on the puff pastry. Lay the potatoes over the puff pastry within the circle, leaving a 1.5cm margin at the edges. After putting down a layer of potatoes, lay some of the cheese slices on top. Continue layering the potatoes and cheese, mounding them slightly so the ingredients are higher towards the centre of the pastry. Dot with the butter and sprinkle with black pepper.

Very lightly brush beaten egg over the edges of the bottom layer of puff pastry. Put the top layer over the filling and press firmly on the edges so the pastry sheets adhere. Invert the mixing bowl or colander over the pithivier and, with that as the guide, use a pizza cutter to trim the layers of puff pastry into a 23cm circle around the filling. Pull off and discard the pastry trimmings, and remove the bowl or colander. Once again, press firmly on the edges of the pithivier to make sure they adhere, then decorate the border. Brush egg lightly over the surface of the pithivier then use a sharp paring knife to cut a round air vent on the top layer of dough. With the paring knife, cut a sunburst pattern over the surface, starting at the air vent then radiating out to the edges; be careful not to cut all the way through the top layer of pastry. Insert the tip of a funnel into the air vent then slowly pour the garlic-infused cream into the pithivier. Bake at 200 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is medium-brown. Turn the heat to 180 degrees and continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is fully cooked. If it browns too much (or too quickly), lay a sheet of aluminium foil over the top. Cool for about 10 minutes before slicing with a long, serrated knife.

Potato and egg brik

If you like, mix crumbled cheese (goat or feta), some well-drained tuna, minced garlic or shallots (cooked with oil until soft), or chopped fresh herbs, into the mashed potato.

450 grams baking potatoes

80 grams unsalted butter

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 eggs

6 sheets filo dough

About 60 grams unsalted butter, melted then cooled to lukewarm

Oil, for frying

Lemon wedges, for serving

Peel the potatoes then cut them into large chunks. Put them in a pan and add enough water to cover them by 3cm. Add five grams of salt and stir to dissolve. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer until the potato is tender. Drain the potato then mash it until smooth (or put it through a ricer). Add the butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put one sheet of filo pastry on the work surface so the short edge is facing you. Lightly but evenly, brush melted butter over the top half of the pastry then fold it in half. Spoon one-sixth of the filling into the centre of the filo sheet then make a deep indentation in the centre. Crack an egg and separate out the white, then put the yolk in the indentation. Brush the edges of the pastry around the potato with butter then fold them over the potato and egg to enclose the filling securely, tucking the top layer of pastry under the parcel. Repeat with the remaining sheets of filo, potato and eggs.

Heat oil in a skillet to a depth of 5cm. When the oil is hot (180 degrees), fry the parcels on each side until golden brown, about 90 seconds in total. Serve immedi-ately, with the lemon wedges. Take care when you bite into the brik because the yolk will be runny.

Styling Nellie Ming Lee