Winter Savory Strudel

Whenever strudel comes up, most people immediately think of a fruit-filled variation – probably with apples. And why not? Apple strudel is undoubtedly an iconic dessert to sample if you find yourself in a Viennese coffee house. But if you travel enough through the Germanic regions of Europe…or even dip your toes into Eastern Europe, you will no doubt encounter a savory strudel along the way…and it will probably have potatoes and cabbage as part of the filling.

My interpretation of a winter strudel has the traditional potatoes and cabbage in the filling…but I also like to add leeks and pumpkin cubes. It makes a delightful festive addition to brunches and dinners…and the pumpkin lends a great deal of needed moisture to the filling.

Don’t be put off by the number of steps in this recipe. Most of the work is in preparing the vegetables for the filling, which can be done 1-2 days in advance. Once you have the filling and dough, the rest of the project involves about 15 minutes to prepare the strudel and roughly 60 minutes to complete the baking…which is mainly unattended work.

The sauce that I like to pair with this strudel is a thickened apple cider sauce, which lends a much-needed hit of acid on the plate that washes away all traces of fat.

I recommend making your strudel dough for this recipe. But if time is short, you can consider using a store-purchased strudel dough, phyllo pastry (that will make the strudel much crispier), or even plant-based puff pastry (but check those ingredients – they are usually unhealthy).

Difficulty: moderate
Yield: Makes 1 large strudel (6-8 servings)