Phyllo "Cigars"

This dish reminds me of my grandmother's friday night dinners. She would always prepare these "cigars" and we always looked forward to them. Mine, however did not come out as thin and perfectly rolled as hers, but still tasted wonderful. This is the first time I worked with phyllo dough, the thin papery dough that becomes crispy in the oven, and it was a bit difficult. It is extremely thin and delicate but after I got the hang of it, it became easier to work with. I made two varieties, one with minced meat and fried onions, and another with mashed potatoes. The potato one is not pictured because it just came out a mess. I think I didn't use enough of the phyllo dough layers to hold the heavy potatoes, so it kind fell apart. It's ok, I fed it to my dog so it didn't totally go to waste :) But the meat ones were so good!

These are great as an appetizer or a fun side dish. I want to try them in those puff pastry shells, and then maybe with a layer of mashed potatoes on top since it will hold it better, like a cup rather than a roll. Then in the oven it goes and the top of the mashed potatoes get all brown..yummm meat and potatoes! Sorry, I'm thinking ahead of myself! I can't wait to try it, and if one of you does, let me know how it comes out!

Meat filled Phyllo Rolls

1/2 lb ground beef

Half an onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

salt 'n' peppa

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp crushed red pepper optional

1 tsp dried parsley (was out of the fresh stuff)

1 Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a bowl with the ground beef and break up with the back of wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and garlic.

2 Chop and mince onion and saute over medium heat in a large skillet until soft and golden.

3 Pour ground beef in the same skillet as the onion and brown until no pink shows. I turned the heat up at the end to get some real color on the beef. When beef is done cooking, put aside.

4 Prepare the phyllo dough by taking 5 layers and brushing each layer with melted butter or margarine and stacking them on top of each other (These directions are on the box).

5 Spoon a thin line of meat lengthwise across the phyllo and begin to roll, tightly, without tearing the dough. Place the roll seam down in the oven. Brush top of roll with butter or margarine and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and crisp. If doing more than one roll, repeat steps 1 through 5 again.

6 Once rolls are baked and golden, cut them in half for easier to eat pieces. Enjoy!