Potato, Bacon and Cheese Vareniki

About this dish

This is a modern home variation rather than a traditional filling: it takes the potato vareniki everyone knows and adds what a cook can fry in the same pan, smoked bacon and a handful of hard cheese. There is no canonical recipe, which is part of its charm; the only rule is to keep the filling dry and the cheese in moderation, because too much of it leaks out through the seam.

• Not vegetarian because of Bacon rashers
• Contains gluten because of Plain flour
• Contains dairy because of Hard cheese, Sour cream, to serve

• 400gPlain flour
• 1pieceEggs
• 200mlWater
• 15mlSunflower oil
• 12gFine sea salt
• 500gPotatoes
• 150gBacon rashers
• 120gOnion
• 100gHard cheese
• 2gGround black pepper
• 150gSour cream, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the flour with a pinch of salt on the work surface and make a well. Add the egg, the oil and the warm water a little at a time, and knead for about 8 minutes into a smooth, soft dough that does not stick to your hands. Cover and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

   20 min

   Tip: Resting relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back and does not tear when you pinch it. Warm, not hot, water keeps it pliable; hot water would start cooking the egg.

2. 2

   Boil and mash the potatoes. Dice the bacon and fry it with the chopped onion until crisp and golden. Mix both, with the fat from the pan, into the mash. When it is only warm, stir in the grated cheese and the pepper and cool completely before filling.

   30 min

   Tip: The fat from the pan carries the smoky flavour through the mash. Stir the cheese in while the mash is only warm so it melts without running, then cool completely or it will soften the dough.

3. 3

   Roll the dough out to about 2 mm and cut rounds with a glass or a 7 cm cutter. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle of each round, fold it over and pinch the edge firmly shut, making sure no filling or juice is caught in the seam. Keep the dough you are not using covered.

   25 min

   Tip: A seam with any trace of filling on it will open in the boiling water. Covered dough stays soft; left in the open it dries at the edges and will not seal.

4. 4

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil and add the vareniki in batches, stirring once so they do not stick. When they float, cook for 3–4 minutes more, then lift out with a slotted spoon.

   5 min

   Tip: A large pot and small batches keep the water from going off the boil and the vareniki from sticking to one another. Floating means the dough is cooked through; the extra minutes cook the filling and set the seam.

5. 5

   Serve hot with sour cream and, if you like, a few more crisp bacon bits.

   2 min

   Tip: Cool sour cream cuts the salt and fat of the bacon and cheese; without it the dish feels heavy.