Bryndzové Pirohy

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 egg
• 150 ml warm water
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 300 g bryndza (or 200 g feta blended with 100 g quark)
• 250 g floury potatoes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chives, finely snipped
• 150 g smoked streaky bacon, cut into small dice
• 200 ml sour cream

Before you cook

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into even chunks.
• Cut the bacon into small dice.
• Snip the chives finely.
• Crumble the bryndza into a large bowl and break up any hard lumps with a fork.

Steps

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 18 minutes, until a knife slides straight through.
2. Drain the potatoes and push them through a ricer into the bowl of bryndza.
3. Mash the potato and cheese together with the black pepper and half the chives until you have a thick, spreadable paste, then set it aside to cool.
4. Mix the flour, egg, warm water and half teaspoon of salt into a firm dough.
5. Knead the dough on a floured board for 6 minutes, until it is smooth and elastic.
6. Cover the dough with an upturned bowl and rest it for 20 minutes.
7. Roll the dough out to 2 mm thick and stamp out 9 cm circles with a cutter or glass.
8. Put a heaped teaspoon of the cheese filling on each circle, slightly off centre.
9. Fold each circle into a half-moon and press the edges firmly, working out any trapped air as you go.
10. Crimp the sealed edge between finger and thumb so it cannot open in the water.
11. Fry the diced bacon in a dry pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, until crisp and the fat has run out.
12. Bring a wide pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil.
13. Slide in half the pirohy and cook them for 4 minutes after they float to the surface.
14. Lift the cooked pirohy out with a slotted spoon and cook the second batch the same way.
15. Toss the drained pirohy in the hot bacon fat until they glisten.
16. Serve them topped with the crisp bacon, a spoon of sour cream and the remaining chives.