One of my favorite types of dinner is snack-feast dinner.
My boyfriend and I will make two or three piles of different small snacks.
The lineup might include gyoza,baba ganoushand bread, ormini meatballand lettuce wraps.
Thats why were happy to announce a new member of our snack-feast family: air fryer spanakopita triangles.
(I say medium because making them is a bit more involved than steaming frozen dumplings.)
The phyllo layers are brushed with butter or oil and bake up browned, crisp, delicate and flaky.
Its a delightful contrast to the herby, cheesy center.
Spanakopita is often prepared as one large, casserole-esque pie.
Its impressive, but can take an hour to bake because of its size.
Taking this meal to the air fryer in mini-snack-triangle form eliminates these pitfalls.
Try both, and use whichever geometric shape works best for you.
Once cooked, set the filling aside in a bowl to cool and prepare the crust layer.
Melt the butter in a measuring cup and stir in the olive oil.
Lay out one sheet of thawed phyllo dough on your work surface.
Brush a thin layer of fat along half the sheetlengthwise, not horizontally.
Youll be folding up a narrow strip eventually.
Brush this new side of the pastry strip with another thin layer of fat.
The goal is to create alternating fat and pastry layers.
Either way, it will be deliciously flaky.
Continue to fold and roll the spinach-filled portion in dough, alternating directions to keep the triangle shape.
The triangle will keep shifting along four different directions until you reach the end.
Once you get the hang of it, its rather speedy.
The following recipe uses a simple spanakopita filling and makes about 12 triangle pockets.
Add the salt and spinach.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
Stir in the scallions, dill, and feta.
Stir the butter and olive oil together in a measuring cup.
Place one sheet of phyllo dough on the work surface.
Scoop a spoonful of the spinach mixture onto the bottom end of the side with butter.
Fold the unbuttered side up and over the filling, and press into the buttered side.
Brush another thin layer of fat along this side of the pastry.
Fold the spinach-filled portion over to form a triangle or a square.
Repeat this until youve used all of the filling and phyllo sheets.
Preheat the air fryer to 350F on the air fry setting.
Depending on how many pockets you get, youll likely have to bake these in two installments.
I got 12 and they fit neatly in two batches of six.
Air fry for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.
