Potato Pancakes with Pork Filling – Kolduny

For these stuffed pancakes, try to buy pork mince with a really high fat content or make your own using high-quality pork belly which has a good meat-to-fat ratio. There are a lot of potatoes to grate here, but if you have a food processor with a grater attachment, it does the job in minutes. Enjoy with soured cream or the Aubergine Ikra (page 160).

Serves 4 (makes about 10) 

2kg potatoes, peeled and rinsed, but left whole 

3 tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

1 egg

500g minced (ground) pork

¼ onion, finely diced

salt and pepper, to taste

4 tbsp water 

butter or oil, for cooking

soured cream, to serve

Coarsely grate the potatoes, then tip into a bowl with the flour and egg and mix well to combine. In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix together the pork, onion, salt, pepper and the water for 5 minutes.

Put about 3 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the palm of your hand and flatten it to about 1cm thick. Fill with about 1 heaped tablespoon of the pork filling. Press the sides inwards to make an oval patty shape, adding more potato to cover the filling as needed. Repeat to make about ten. 

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C. Meanwhile, place a large frying pan over a medium–high heat and add a knob of butter or a glug of oil. Cook the kolduny in batches, a few at a time, for 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown. At this point, transfer them to a cast-iron dish or medium, deep-sided baking tray. Place them side by side, so they are touching, but not on top of each other. Cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven for 25–30 minutes. Serve straight away with soured cream.

This is an edited extract from Sour Cherries & Sun Flowers by Anastasia Zolotarev, Published by Quadrille. 📷 Karen Fisher and Anastasia Zolotarev.