Authentic recipe for Ossetian pie with potatoes and cheese

First, prepare the mashed potatoes for the filling, as it needs some time to cool down. It is convenient to make more mashed potatoes to use part of it as a side dish and part of it for the filling of the pies. Boil the potatoes in slightly salted water until fully cooked and soft, mash them with a masher and measure the required amount (400 grams). While the mashed potatoes are cooling, do not add salt, milk or butter, just let them cool. You can also use leftover mashed potatoes from the refrigerator for the filling.

Next, prepare the dough for the Ossetian pies. Take 180 grams of regular flour, sift it, add yeast, salt, and sugar. Then slightly heat the milk to about 40 degrees Celsius (it should feel slightly warm to the touch). Add the milk to the dry flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. Cover the dough with a clean towel and let it rest in a warm place for one hour (if the kitchen is warm enough and there are no drafts, you can simply leave it on the countertop). The dough should significantly increase in size (already proofed dough in the photo).

After one hour, take out the proofed dough, add the remaining flour (regular and whole wheat), sour cream, vegetable oil, and knead the dough: first mix with a wooden spoon to combine all the ingredients, then when the dough starts to come together (as shown in the photo), knead the dough by hand.

When the dough has a more or less homogeneous texture, gather it into a ball and let it rest again in a warm place, covering it with a towel. It will need another hour to rise.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: grate the cheese and mix it with the mashed potatoes. You can use Imertian cheese, Ossetian cheese, feta, or even Adyghe cheese (in this case, additional salt will be needed for the filling).

Knead the filling by hand: it should stick together well and hold its shape. If the filling is dry and crumbly, you can add 3-4 tablespoons of milk. Also, if you are using unsalted cheese, you need to salt the filling to taste.

When the dough has risen, turn on the oven to preheat to 220°C and start forming the pies. Divide the risen dough into two parts. Take one part of the dough and shape it into a round flat cake by hand. You can also use a rolling pin, but it is quite quick and convenient to do it by hand. Then, form a ball from half of the filling and place it in the center of the cake.

Carefully gather the edges of the cake around the filling and seal the seams tightly.

Then, turn the resulting ball inside out and flatten-stretch the dough to form a round pie about one centimeter thick (if you have small baking sheets, it is more convenient to make oval pies). You can also use a rolling pin, but when working by hand, you have more control over the dough and less chance of tearing it. In some places, the top layer of dough may become very thin or even tear, but it's not a problem.

Cut a hole in the center of the pie for steam to escape (use a small knife to cut out a circle in the top layer of dough). Transfer the pie to a baking sheet and form the second pie in the same way.

Bake the pies for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown. Swap the baking sheets once during the process. While the pies are baking, melt the butter and then brush it on the hot pies.