Main dishes
Vareniki with potato and fried onion
Potato vareniki are humble, comforting dumplings made from the cheapest ingredients. Kefir makes the dough soft and forgiving: it rolls out easily, doesn't tear when you shape the dumplings and stays tender after boiling. The filling is mashed potato with golden fried onion and butter, and some of the onion is kept back to spoon over at the end. The one rule is to let the filling cool completely, otherwise it softens the dough and makes it sticky. This makes around 50 large vareniki, enough for a big family dinner with some left over for the freezer.
Method
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Mix the kefir, egg and half a teaspoon of salt. Gradually add the flour and knead to a soft dough that doesn't stick to your hands. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Peel the potatoes, cut into large chunks and boil in salted water for 20 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile finely chop the onion and fry it in the oil with 10 g of the butter over medium heat for 10-12 minutes until golden.
Drain the potatoes, keeping 50 ml of the cooking water. Mash with 20 g of butter and the reserved water.
Stir in half the fried onion, season with salt and pepper and let the filling cool completely.
Roll the dough out in batches to 2 mm thick and cut out 7-8 cm circles with a glass.
Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on each circle, fold in half and pinch the edges firmly.
Bring 3 litres of salted water to the boil, add the vareniki 15-20 at a time and stir straight away.
Once they float, cook for 3-4 minutes, lift out with a slotted spoon and drizzle with the remaining melted butter.
Tips for success
- The filling must be completely cold or the dough will go soggy and burst.
- If the edges don't stick, dampen them with a wet finger.
- A crimped, braided edge looks pretty and keeps the dumplings tightly sealed.
- Leftover filling can be frozen or used for potato cakes and pies.
Serving and storage
Serve hot with sour cream, the rest of the fried onion and chopped dill. Crispy bacon bits or fried mushrooms are good additions.
Freeze raw vareniki on a tray in one layer, then bag and keep for up to 2 months. Cook from frozen for 5-6 minutes after they float. Cooked vareniki keep in the fridge for 2 days; reheat in a frying pan.
Variations
- With mushrooms: add 200 g of mushrooms fried with onion to the filling.
- Cheesy: stir 80 g of grated hard cheese into the hot mash.
- Pan-fried: fry boiled vareniki in butter until golden.
Calories and macros
Per serving (about 397 g):
Per 100 g: 166 kcal, P 4.1, F 5.5, C 24.5. An estimate based on average ingredient values. Your daily calories ›
