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November 12, 2010

Russian Potato Piroshki with Garlic Dip

Name: Russian Potato Piroshki with Garlic Dip - Пирожки
Prep time: 120 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 150 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 Tbsp oil; 15 oz luke warm water; 4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (divided); 1 tsp salt; 1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast; 1/2 Tbsp sugar (omit sugar if doing meat or potato filling); 7 to 8 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into 1/2" thick chunks); 3 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted for potatoes); 1/2 medium onion; 1 Tbsp butter for onions; 1/4 cup warm water; 1 Tbsp olive oil; 1 garlic clove (pressed); 1/2 tsp salt; Enough canola oil to go half-way up the side of the piroshky when frying.; Lots of extra flour to dust the cutting board (I probably use at least 1/2 cup extra flour)

5 from 3 votes
85 comments

A green with Russian potato piroshki on it and a bowl of garlic dip

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These Russian Potato Piroshki with Garlic Dip are dangerously good! You must exert some self-control. Potato pirojki are one thing, but paired with the garlic dip… Oooh baby!

I hope you do try these pirojki. They truly are one of my very favorite treats.

Ingredients for the Dough:

1 1/2 Tbsp oil
15 oz luke warm water
4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (divided)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
1/2 Tbsp sugar (omit sugar if doing meat or potato filling)

Ingredients for Filling:

7 to 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick chunks
3 Tbsp butter, melted for potatoes
1/2 medium onion
1 Tbsp butter for onions

Ingredients for Garlic Dip – “Vmochanka”

(this is for one serving, so increase it accordingly):
1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil (you can use any kind of oil really)
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all dip ingredients together; that’s all there is to it!

Other Ingredients:

Enough canola oil to go half-way up the side of the piroshky when frying.
Lots of extra flour to dust the cutting board (I probably use at least 1/2 cup extra flour)

How to make potato filling:

1. Fill a medium pot with sliced potatoes and add water until potatoes are almost covered. Add salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce heat to a light boil. Boil 18-20 minutes, or until a knife easily pierces potatoes.

A pot with peeled and cut potatoes in water

2. Mash potatoes, then add melted butter.

Potatoes being mashed in a pot

3. Saute diced onion and 1 Tbsp butter until onion is browned.

Butter and onions on a skillet

4. Mix onions into potatoes and let the mix cool to room temp.

Sautéed onions added into a pot with mashed potatoes

How to make the Dough:

1. The easiest way to do this is in a bread maker. If you have one, set it to the dough setting and add the ingredients in the following order: Oil, water, 2 cups flour, salt, sugar, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp flour*, yeast.
A bread maker will do the following: mix, let dough rise, mix again and let the dough rise (It takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours) and once it’s done in the bread maker, its ready to go.

*to get an exact flour measurement, use a dry ingredients measuring cup and scrape off the top with the back of a butter knife.

You can also make this dough using a stand mixer with a dough hook on speed 2(mix all the ingredients together, let rise 3o min in a warm spot, mix again and then let it rise again in a warm place another 45 min (no warmer than 100˚F or you will kill your yeast). (It should be 2 to 2 1/2 times in volume.

A ball of dough sitting on a floured wooden cutting board

2. Put the finished dough onto a well floured cutting board, dust the dough with flour and with well-floured hands, shape it into a large log.
It will rise more as you make the piroshki

3. Cut off pieces one at a time about 3/4″ thick.

Dough being cut into small pieces on a floured cutting board

4. Place the piece of dough over your well-floured hand (dough will be sticky) and shape it into a 3″ to 4″ circle using your hands. Do not put flour on the side where you are going to put the potatoes, otherwise the sides won’t seal.

$A rolled out circle of dough being filled with a mashed potato mixture in someone\'s hand$

5. Place 1 heaping Tbsp of potato filling in the center.Cover the potatoes with the sides of the dough and pinch the ends together with your fingers to seal the dough together. If necessary, flatten the pirojki slightly to make them a more uniform size.

Potato piroshki being shaped by hand

6. Heat oil in a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan. There should be enough oil to cover the pirojki half-way up the side.

Potato piroshki being fried in a pot with oil

7. Place them in the hot oil (about 330 ˚ F) and fry until deep golden brown on each side. Sometimes they puff up a lot on one side so you may end up with a third side that needs to be fried. Place on paper towels to cool and enjoy!
To make the garlic dipping sauce; just mix all the sauce ingredients together. Easy. 🙂

Notes:

It helps to wash your hands half-way through the process to keep the dough from really sticking to your hand. And keep those hands well-floured!