Main Dishes
Lazy Pirohy With Cheese: Pillow-Soft Potato Dough Pockets With a Stretchy Center and No Rising Time
Quick fried potato dough pockets with a stretchy cheese filling. Potato cooking water goes into the dough, so it needs no rising and stays soft.
Instructions
Cut the peeled potatoes into small cubes, put them in a pot, cover with water and boil until tender.
Drain, saving the water. Measure out exactly 200 ml (scant 1 cup) of the hot potato cooking water.
Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and mash them into a smooth puree.
Pour in the reserved cooking water, add the sugar and salt and stir into a smooth, porridge-like mixture.
Add the egg to the lukewarm potato mixture and mix in thoroughly again.
Sift part of the flour with the baking powder through a sieve and start kneading by hand. Gradually work in the remaining flour until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Turn the dough out onto the work surface, drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of oil and work it with your hands into a smooth, non-sticky ball.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Dust the work surface with flour and roll the first half with a rolling pin into a circle about 3/16 inch (4–5 mm) thick.
Cut the circle with a bench scraper or knife into 8 equal triangles. Spread an even amount of shredded cheese on each one.
Roll out the second half into a circle of the same size and carefully lay it over the bottom layer with the cheese.
Press the edges all around firmly with your fingers to seal. Then cut along the triangle lines and seal those edges too, so you have 8 separate, fully closed pockets.
Heat a layer of oil in a skillet. Add the pockets to the hot oil and fry over medium heat until golden and crisp on both sides, about 3–5 minutes per batch. Before removing them, briefly brown the thicker side edges too.