Potato Pampushki With Cheese Filling – Картофельные Пампушки с Творожной Начинкой

Reviving leftovers is a skill and an art worthy of attention. I don’t know about you, but most dishes, with some exceptions of course, are not very exciting to eat the next day.  It is such an accomplishment when you can bring something to the dinner table that nobody could ever guess was a re-created leftover and looks elegant and tastes amazing.

Pampushki are starchy little morsels usually served with soup, such as Borsch. Most of the time, pampushki are yeast rolls, often drizzled with butter and garlic. I’ll share a recipe with you another time.

These pampushki are made with potatoes. There are so many different variations of potato cakes. The unique touch about these pampushki is that they are made with a combination of mashed potatoes and shredded raw potatoes. They are creamy, but at the same time have some crunch to them from the raw potato. Golden and crisp on the outside, they contain a smooth, cheesy filling, made from farmer’s cheese, parmesan and chives. You can use just about any filling that you like, caramelized onions and bacon, meat, mushrooms, roasted veggies, smoked salmon, etc.

Serves: 16 pampushki

Ingredients

• 2½ cups mashed potatoes
• 1½ lbs of potatoes, about 4 medium-sized (preferably Yukon Gold)
• salt, pepper
• ½ cup farmer's cheese or ricotta
• ⅛ cup parmesan cheese, grated
• chives, minced
• 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream
• oil, for pan frying

Instructions

Peel potatoes and grate on a box grater. Squeeze out all moisture by placing the potatoes in a cheesecloth or kitchen towel and squeeze out all excess moisture.
Combine the grated potatoes with the mashed potatoes. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper. You can also add caramelized onions to the potato mixture for added flavor. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients for the cheese filling.
Take about a ¼ cup of potato mixture and form into a patty. Place about a 1½ teaspoon of the cheese filling and place into the center of the patty. Fold the potato mixture over the cheese filling, shaping it into an oval shape.
In a nonstick skillet, heat about 2 Tablespoons of oil and add the pampushki. Cook the potato pampushki on medium heat, about 5-7 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Drain the potato pampushki on paper towels. The potato pampuski are delicious with Borsch:). You can even make them half as small and serve as cute little appetizers.

Source:

http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/appetizers/potato-pampushki-with-cheese-filling/