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Kartofdzhyn
Potato and cheese pie
Kartofdzhyn (картофджын): thin round Ossetian pie filled with mashed potato and fresh cheese
RussianOssetian pies come in threes at every celebration in Vladikavkaz, stacked on one plate for the sun, earth and water, and kartofdzhyn, with potato and cheese, is the everyday family favourite of North Ossetia. Soft kefir-yeast dough is wrapped around a ball of filling and patted flat by hand into a wide, thin round, so dough and filling are each barely a centimetre thick, then baked hot and soaked with butter. Ossetian cheese is a fresh brined cheese made with animal rennet; for a vegetarian pie use a feta-style or young brined cheese labelled vegetarian. The usual slip is overfilling, which makes the pie burst as you flatten it; aim for about the same weight of dough and filling. Chef's tip: stack the hot pies and butter each one, so the butter soaks through and they stay supple.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- ¾ cup kefirat room temperature
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb floury potatoespeeled and halved
- ⅔ oz butter
- 9 oz vegetarian brined white cheese (feta-style)crumbled
- ¼ tsp black pepper
To finish
- 1 ¾ oz buttermelted
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Stir the ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 tsp caster sugar into the warm ½ cup warm water and leave for 5 minutes, until foamy.
5 minStep 2: Add the ¾ cup kefir, 14 oz plain flour, 1 tsp salt and 2 tbsp sunflower oil and knead for 5 minutes into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Cover and leave to rise for 45 minutes, until puffy and nearly doubled.
50 minStep 3: Meanwhile boil the 1 ⅛ lb floury potatoes in unsalted water for about 20 minutes, until tender. Drain and mash with the ⅔ oz butter, then mash in the 9 oz vegetarian brined white cheese (feta-style) and ¼ tsp black pepper. Taste; the cheese usually brings enough salt. Cool and shape into 2 balls.
25 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 475°F (425°F fan) with a tray inside. Divide the dough in two and pat each half into a 20 cm round on a floured surface.
5 minStep 5: Put a ball of filling in the middle of each, gather the dough up over it and pinch to seal. Turn seam-side down and pat out gently with your fingers into a 30 cm round, working from the centre outwards. Cut a small hole in the middle.
8 minStep 6: Slide the pies onto the hot tray on baking paper and bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden with darker spots.
15 minStep 7: Brush each hot pie generously with the 1 ¾ oz butter, stack them and cut into wedges.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 620 kcal
- Protein
- 21 g
- Carbs
- 82 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kartofdzhyn take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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