Gluten Free Montasio Crusted Apple Sausage Potstickers

Have you ever heard of Montasio cheese? I had never heard of it until just recently. It’s part of a group
called the Legends From Europe. It’s an elite group of artisan cheeses and meats that have very specific and strict standards of production. They’re running a recipe contest that recently ended. I decided to try my luck and have fun in the process. I love creating new allergy friendly recipes.

Montasio was a little hard to locate, but I was lucky enough to find it at Whole Foods. I was even luckier that it was on sale!

Montasio cheese is a hard aged cheese with a full flavor that is almost nutty and intensifies when fried. It’s very bold alone but pairs up wonderfully with fruit and herbs. I think it’s tastes very similar to Parmigiano Reggiano; very rich in flavor and delicious. I looked up traditional recipes for Montasio and found the most common use is to make Frico- fried cheese with a filling in the middle.

I wanted to keep some tradition but with a new twist. (There really isn’t anything traditional about a gluten free diet.) I don’t know why, but I thought the fried crispy cheese would work great as a potsticker. Crispy and crunchy textures are sometimes difficult to achieve on a gluten free diet.

These were pretty simple to make. I know, you’re probably thinking, “Potstickers are too hard and time consuming to make.”

Really, they’re not.

This is only the second time I’ve ever made them. The first time I made them, I didn’t take any shortcuts. As usual, this time I made some changes to be more efficient. (You know I’ll always skip unnecessary steps make less mess or decrease the cooking time). No rolling the dough out or using a mixer. I was able to make these from start to finish in under 1 hour. The only prep was to grate the cheese and although its best fresh it could be done the night before.

I thought a combination of sweet apple sausage, onion and rosemary would balanced out the rich deep flavor of the cheese.

The first bite was delicious! The soft skin of the potsticker followed by the crunch of the cheese… mixing with the apples and hints of rosemary… So wonderful! The kids loved them too. They kept asking for more until they were all gone.

Everyone love the cheese so much I’ll have to come up with some more ideas. Look for Montasio at your grocery store. Your family will love it!

These inspired from Laura Russell’s book the Gluten Free Asian Kitchen. See more of her amazing cooking and recipes at laurabrussell.com

Ingredients

Potsticker dough and cheese crust makes about 14 medium potsickers

CRUST

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Montasio cheese
oil for frying

DOUGH

3/4 cup sweet rice flour*
3/4 cup tapioca starch*
2 tsp xanthan gum*
1 1/2 cup hot water
2 T water for steaming
*conversion to wheat flour: substitute 1 1/2 cups regular all purpose wheat flour and omit xanthan gum.

FILLING

2 cooked organic apple chicken sausages
1 organic gala apple
1/2 onion
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary (more for garnishing)
1/4 cup Montasio cheese
oil for frying

Directions

Chop onion, apple, rosemary and sausage. Sauté onion in pan until soft. Add the apple, sausage, rosemary and continue to cook until apples are soft. Allow to cool.
While the filling is cooling, prepare the potsticker dough. Mix all dry ingredients and add hot water. Mix well with a spoon until combined. Knead by hand a few times on a floured surface. (Dough should not stick to your hands; add more flour if too moist.)
Shape dough into a log shape and place in plastic. Cut dough into 14 equal pieces. Take one out at a time and cover the rest to avoid drying out.
On a floured surface, flatten dough into a circle and gently pull to stretch. Dough should be as thin as you can press/stretch by hand without breaking.
Add 1 1/2 T of the cooled filling. Add a sprinkle of cheese. Fold dough in half like a taco. The side closest to you will have the dimples and folds while the opposite side will stay smooth. Please refer to my pictures below (these are from the one other time I made potstickers, you do not need a rolling pin)

Starting on the side closest to you, create a small fold and pinch dough together then press to the opposite side of dough. Repeat the steps until the potsticker is sealed.
Pan fry the potstickers for 2-3 minutes. Carefully add 2 T of water to the pan and cover to steam 4-5 minutes. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked. Rinse pan of any residue.
Add oil and drop 2-3T mounds of cheese for each potsticker. I was able to cook 4-5 at a time.
Allow the cheese to start melting. Place the potstickers on top of each mound. Use a spatula to form the cheese in the shape of the potsticker. Allow the cheese to fry until golden brown and crispy. Enjoyed best fresh the pan.

If you won’t be enjoying these fresh today, simply freeze the potstickers uncooked. Liberally dust with flour to prevent sticking to one another. Pan fry straight from the freezer. Don’t forget to freeze some cheese!

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