The Nordic Cookbook: Potato (Karelian) Pasties (Perunapiirakka)

My attempt at this recipe was much more calm and actually successful, unlike my previous experiment (see my last post). This one was actually technically two recipes from The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson (the mashed potatoes recipe on page 118, and the Karelian Pasties recipe on page 519). However the recipe specifies if you use mashed potatoes instead of rice porridge, the actual recipe is for Potato Pasties (perunapiirakka).

After choosing this recipe I did a bit of research and discovered that Karelian Pasties is a very well-known dish from Finland. I also learned that as Finland is so near to Estonia and shares a border with Russia, it is also commonly eaten in those places. The historic region of Karelia (where this recipe is named for) is actually split between Finland and Russia. The Russian name of this dish is карельский пирог (Karelskiy pirog) or Karelian pirog. 

As a side note, "pirogi" is the plural of "pirog" in Russian. The English equivalent of saying "pierogies" is like saying "pastriesies" (two plurals). Now that I've shared that I can say my Russian degree was good for something.

I will briefly go over the mashed potatoes recipe. It is extremely simple. The most time consuming part is boiling the potatoes. I calculated the amount of potatoes using grams as I have found that I have more success with the recipes in these Nordic cookbooks if I use the metric measurements. And if I mix the metric and imperial measurements, it gets even weirder. So I weighed out my potatoes to get as close to 700g as possible, then after washing I set them to boil for about 25 minutes (until tender).

After boiling I peeled the potatoes and then mashed them with the milk and butter mixture before seasoning. The potatoes at first will be liquidy, but become the perfect consistency while cooling. These were delicious.

While these were cooling I began the Potato Pasties recipe. I made sure to read it very thoroughly throughout so I knew what to do ahead of time and what to prepare for. This recipe did not require rising as there was no yeast in it, so that could have also contributed heavily to my success.

I should also mention I chose this recipe specifically because I needed to use up some rye flour, as I accidentally purchased a 25 pound bag of it on the internet when I was preparing to cook the Golden Syrup Loaf. This recipe was actually great for that as I used way more flour than originally specified (when it said to generously sprinkle, I was very generous). I highly recommend this recipe if you also need to use up a surplus of rye flour.

The dough is extremely easy to make, consisting of only rye flour, salt, and then adding cold water. I did however use the imperial measurement for the flour and the metric measurement for the water, so it came out not exactly right at first. It was extremely sticky and I was unable to work with it until I added (a lot) more flour. Also, the recipe didn't specify to do so, but I sifted the rye flour to get rid of the extra pieces. The recipe calls for light rye and I don't think that's what I have, but it turned out alright anyway.

The image above was from before adding extra flour. It says only to work the dough together and form into two logs, but this was almost impossible before adding more as it was so sticky and wouldn't come off my hands.

Then it instructs to cover with a damp towel while creating the dough rounds. I definitely would not skip this step as it was a lot more time consuming than I anticipated. Also, I tried to pre-calculate the size of each round to add up to 25. I would recommend this, as it was difficult to get the right amount without.

I actually measured the first one to get a visual of how big the rounds actually needed to be. Then after a few attempts I came up with the system that worked best for me.

First, roll the piece of dough entirely in the generously flour sprinkled countertop to avoid sticking. Then flatten with the palm of your hand, flip over and pat with more flour to remove any potential stickiness. Then use your fingers to flatten about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way. Add more flour then flip and add additional flour if still needed before using the rolling pin. Even doing this I still sometimes needed to use a spatula to remove it from my countertop.

Once you do this with all the dough and create 25 rounds, then it is time to add the mashed potato. The recipe called for a couple tablespoons and I varied between 1.5 to 3 depending on the size of the round as I wasn’t extremely consistent.

Then I pinched the two corner edges (slightly spread the mashed potatoes beforehand) so it made an oval and then crimped the edges in between, before pushing them into the mashed potatoes.

Side note, I am normally a messy cook but this recipe took my kitchen to another level.

I was able to fit all of the pasties in two large baking sheets. The pasties also don’t take long to cook, though I did end up having to add an extra minute or so to the time the book recommends in the oven. I just waited until most of the pasties had some browning of the mashed potatoes before taking out. The recipe then calls for brushing the pasties immediately with melted butter. This step was very appetizing.

I did notice the rye changed color once I took it out of the oven. I’m not sure if that is because of the butter or not. In the picture below, the pasties on the left are shown becoming darker after cooling. The ones on the right were right out of the oven.

Overall these pasties were a pretty tasty recipe. It was a bit time consuming making both the mashed potatoes and pasties back to back however. To save time I’d recommend making the mashed potatoes ahead of time. I will give these pasties three out of five Nordic spears! Try the recipe for yourself by looking on page 519 of The Nordic Cookbook by Magnus Nilsson.