Recipe

Curry potato piroshki with everything spice

July 22, 2020

Piroshki are one of the world’s greatest foods. It’s not up for debate. These miraculous, fluffy pockets of flavor are typically stuffed with potato, cabbage or meat but as with most stuffed-dough creations, the possibilities are endless.

We are big potato people in the Fedner household. And as much as I love the tried and true potato/onion or potato/garlic combos we Russians enjoy so much, this time I decided to step outside of the Slavic box and give my potato stuffing an Indian twist with some curry powder, cumin and chili powder! I feel like I should disclaim here that “curry powder” is a Western invention. But in this case and almost all the time, I’m not striving for authenticity: I’m striving for creativity.

A note on the dough recipe: I’m not super experienced with making piroshki dough so I used my friend Sasha Shor’s recipe. Sasha is my Russian-Jewish cooking guru. Find her on Instagram @sashashor212! (ps she’s about to launch a crazy good Jewish-inspired chili oil + furikake so keep tabs: @holytshili ) .

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WHAT YOU NEED

Piroshki Dough

adapted from Sasha Shor’s piroshky dough recipe

1 package (2 and 1/4 tsp) instant dry yeast

3.75 cups all-purpose flour (+ extra for dusting)

2 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 cup warm water

2 large eggs

1/4 cup sour cream*

1/4 cup kefir

1/2 stick (4 tbsp butter) softened

*you can use a full 1/2 cup of either kefir or sour cream if you don’t have both available!

Filling:

4-5 russet potatoes

2 medium-sized sweet onions

4 tbsp butter

1.5 tsp yellow curry powder

1 tsp chili powder (or cayenne pepper)

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

1/4 cup fresh dill

Salt to taste

Egg wash + topping

2 egg yolks

2 tbsp milk

Everything bagel seasoning (optional)

WHAT YOU DO

To make the dough:

Combine the sugar, yeast and warm water in a bowl and allow it to sit for about 3-5 minutes so the yeast begins to foam. Add the salt, eggs, butter, sour cream and kefir. By the way, it’s not necessary to use both sour cream and kefir: if you only have one or the other, just use a full 1/2 cup of it. Whisk this wet mixture together until everything is incorporated (doesn’t have to be perfect).

In a separate large bowl, measure out 3.75 cups of flour. Make a well in the center, add the wet mixture, and mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms. Empty the shaggy dough onto a clean, well-floured surface and knead it for 3-5 minutes until you’re left with a smooth ball of dough.

Grease a very large bowl (we’re talking LARGE guys, the dough is gonna double in size) and add the dough. Drizzle a little oil on top of the dough ball, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.

While the dough is rising, get your filling together:

Dice your onions. Doesn’t have to be perfect, you’re gonna cook the shit out of them anyways.

Melt 4 tbsp of butter in a large skillet, add the diced onions, and cook on med-low heat for 45 min-1 hr or until they reach a nice golden brown color.

Meanwhile, peel and cube the russet potatoes and boil them in lightly salted water until they can be easily pierced with a fork.

Drain the potatoes, mash them up, then add the spices, dill and cooked onions.  And then fricking TASTE IT! Stop taking food bloggers’ word for things and use your own special and unique palate to figure out if something needs more salt, more spice, etc.

Time to actually make piroshki!

Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and onto a slightly floured surface and divide it into 4 roughly equal pieces. Divide each of those quadrants into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place on the lined baking sheets. Cover with damp paper towels and allow the balls to rest for 15 minutes.

Work with 1 ball of dough at a time (keeping the others under a damp towel). Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 3.5 inch circle about 2mm thick. Add about 2 tbsp of cooled filling to the center and either pinch the pirozhok shut into an ovular/half-moon shape OR get fancy with a braided pleat. As you finish each pirozhok, placed it on a foiled + greased sheet pan and keep it covered with a damp towel. Keep the process going until all the piroshki are pleated and finished. Keep all the piroshki covered and allow them to rise again for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, whisk together your egg wash and gently brush all the piroshki using a pastry brush. If you’re using the everything bagel spice, sprinkle it on the piroshki now.

Bake the piroshki for about 20-25 minutes or until they’re nice and golden brown. The end!

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