French-Inspired Cassoni – Goat Cheese and Potato Filling

Welcome to another instalment of Around the World in Eighty Cassoni!

For this French-inspired filling, I knew there had to be cheese — French cheese, of course — along with something to give it body without overpowering its flavour, and a handful of herbs reminiscent of Provence.

I chose a good Boucheron, a goat’s cheese with a distinctive flavour, boiled and mashed potatoes, and fresh thyme and marjoram. I brought them all together to create a creamy, flavourful filling.

I had considered using a classic herbes de Provence blend, but I wanted the cheese to remain the star of the show. I also wanted fresh, fragrant herbs rather than the dried ones I usually find in commercial mixes.

You’ll notice that potatoes appear quite often in these more adventurous cassoni fillings. It might seem repetitive, but there’s a good reason for it: potatoes help bind the other ingredients, absorb excess moisture and provide a mild base that lets the other flavours shine. I’ll do my best to keep surprising you with new combinations!

The result was delicious enough to earn a mention from my husband, who is famously traditional when it comes to cassoni. As far as he’s concerned, the only truly essential fillings are rosole (wild poppy greens), potatoes and sausage — with very little room for experimentation!

The dough is made using the same basic recipe as traditional Romagnola piadina. The main difference is the size: I make smaller dough balls for cassoni, leaving plenty of room for a generous filling.

Want to try more flavours? Try my Indian-Inspired Cassoni or my Icelandic Plokkfiskur Cassoni!

French-Inspired Cassoni with Goat Cheese, Potatoes and Herbs

Recipe

Yield: 10 cassoni
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus preparing the piadina dough
Resting time: According to your piadina dough recipe
Cooking time: Approximately 20–30 minutes, depending on the number cooked at once
Total time: Depends on the dough preparation and resting time

Ingredients

• 300 g boiled and mashed potatoes

• 200 g goat’s cheese, such as Boucheron, or Brie

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

• Fresh thyme and marjoram leaves, to taste

• A small amount of garlic, optional

You will also need a batch of Romagnola piadina dough.

Method

1. While the mashed potatoes are still warm, crumble in the cheese and mix well so that it begins to blend into the potatoes.

2. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the fresh thyme and marjoram leaves to taste. If you like, add a small amount of garlic for extra flavour.

3. Divide the piadina dough into portions of approximately 70–80 g each, smaller than the portions you would normally use for piadina.

4. Roll each portion into a thin circle. Spoon a generous amount of filling onto one half, leaving a little space around the edges.

5. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon. Press the edges together firmly, seal them with the tines of a fork and prick the top of the dough to let steam escape.

6. Cook the cassoni on a hot traditional piadina griddle or heavy-based pan, turning as needed, until both sides are golden and the dough is cooked through.

7. Serve warm, while the cheese filling is soft and fragrant.

A note on the filling

Boucheron gives these cassoni a distinctive goat’s cheese flavour, while the potatoes provide a soft, mild base. Fresh thyme and marjoram add a fragrant herbal note inspired by Provence without overwhelming the cheese.