By default, all pasties are perceived as fried meat pies, however, do not approach them so strictly. There are many variations of fillings, among which potato occupies a well-deserved place. How to cook pasties with potatoes, consider below.
A bit of history
This dish is considered traditional among the Mongolian peoples. Initially, it was a pie of thinly rolled unleavened dough stuffed with lamb, abundantly seasoned with spices. All this was fried in animal fat and served hot.
Over time, alternative fillings began to appear - for example, pasties were stuffed with herbs, potatoes, cheese and other things - in short, everything that was at hand at that time.
To cook pasties (with potatoes or other fillings), you must adhere to the following rules:
- thin but strong dough;
- juicy, but not wet filling;
- proper roast temperature.
To date, chebureks are especially popular among the peoples of the Caucasus, but in the middle zone of Russia they have found their fans. They are also a kind of fast food, as they are hearty, tasty, and they are conveniently eaten on the run.
Types of test
The dough from which chebureks are molded (a recipe with potatoes is used in this case or some other one - it doesn’t matter) is fresh, strong, but elastic. Its task is to keep the filling and all its juice intact, cover with a crispy golden crust on top and not be rubber.
Maintaining a balance is quite difficult for a beginner, but we will give a couple
of test recipes that will help in any situation:
- Basic fresh dough. Consists of flour, water and salt. For 500 ml of water, take 1 teaspoon of salt and as much flour as you need in order to knead a steep but elastic dough that practically does not stick to your hands and work surface. It is important to knead it for a long time and thoroughly, so that gluten can develop. Do not abuse flour, otherwise the dough will turn out "oak". After kneading, be sure to let it rest for about 40 minutes. From this test you will get wonderful lean pasties with potatoes.
- Choux pastry. The recipe is more complicated, but the chebureks at the output are excellent - the dough crunches remarkably and at the same time practically melts in the mouth, you don’t even need to chew. For him, in 1/3 cup of water, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of oil. Bring the mixture to a boil. Pour 1 cup of flour, knead thoroughly until smooth, beat in the same 1 egg and mix again. Sift another 1 cup of flour onto a work surface, put the resulting choux dough and knead a tough, but elastic and uniform dough. Let rest for half an hour. This dough is an excellent choice for those who want to cook pasties with cheese and potatoes.
Types of fillings
As mentioned above, special attention must be paid to the amount of moisture in the filling - it should not leak, because otherwise, not even the strongest dough will stand the frying test. The options below are second to the popularity of toppings after minced meat:
- potato. Peel and boil 500 grams of potatoes in salted water. Chop 1 small onion separately. From the cooked boiled potatoes and a small amount of broth, make a strong, uniform mashed potato, then mix the onion, ground black pepper, salt, if necessary, and use the filling as intended. If you wish, when cooking lean pasties with potatoes, you can fry the onion in vegetable oil;
- potato cheese. Peel and boil 500 grams of potatoes. Cheese (100 grams) grate on a fine grater.Make hot mashed potatoes from hot boiled potatoes and 20 grams of butter, add cheese to it and knead until smooth. Finely chop there half a bunch of dill, salt and pepper to taste. That's all you can cook. The resulting pasties with potatoes and cheese will not disappoint you.
Cooking principle
It would seem, what’s complicated here - rolled out, blinded, and the heat! However, not all so simple. Unsuccessful rolling and modeling can provide you with either a “dough separately - filling separately” scheme or just a proud piece of dough in which a small piece of filling is hidden, and an unsuccessful temperature choice will cause the dough to burn out or absorb too much oil.
To cook the same pasties with potatoes, use the following tips:
- the thickness of the dough for the filling should be thin, but not to shine through. Offhand 1, a maximum of 2 mm is enough;
- for greater adhesion of the edges, they can be slightly greased with water, and then pressed down with a fork;
- before frying, shake off the flour from chebureks if possible, as it will start to burn;
- for cooking, use a large pan, pouring vegetable oil 1.5-2 cm into it;
- the oil must be hot! Cook pasties on medium heat, frying on both sides.