Perishke is a Ukrainian stuffed buns with potato, cottage cheese and dill and served with a dill cream sauce. It’s my goal to make these every Christmas Eve family dinner until I perfect the technique of making the tiniest, most delicious buns ever!

Perishke

Dough

8 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cup milk, scalded
4 large eggs
2/3 cups warm water
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 x 8g dry active yeast

Filing

5-6 potatoes
375 g dry cottage cheese
½ medium onion, chopped
2 large eggs
½ cup chopped dill
¼ cup chopped green onions
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Sauce

2 ½ cups whipping cream
½ cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped dill
2 tablespoons butter

Dissolve 1 tablespoon sugar in 2/3 cups of warm water, sprinkle yeast over. Let stand 15 minutes to activate yeast (should foam). In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and fluffy. Add remaining sugar; beat to combine. Add salt, melted butter and milk. Mix thoroughly and add the dissolved yeast mixture. Slowly add the flour one cup at a time. Mix with a spoon until it is easy to handle by hand. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (about 5 minutes). Put dough in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours until dough has doubled. Punch down the dough and let rise again for 30 minutes.

While dough is rising, prepare the filing. Cut potatoes into quarters and boil until fork tender. Let cool and mash in a medium size bowl until there are no lumps. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until combined.

Pinch off a small piece of dough, roll into a ball and flatten with your hands (2 ½ inches in diameter for larger buns. Place a tablespoon of filling in the middle, not allowing the mixture to touch the edges (it will prevent the bun from sealing). Pinch to close, folding both ends together on the bottom of the seam to form a small oval bun. Place seam side down on a parchment lined baking sheet at least an inch apart. Preheat the over to 350 degrees while the buns rest. Bake for 35 minutes, brush with melted butter and let bake for another 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Let the buns cool. Arrange in a cast-iron pan or casserole dish depending on how many you would like to serve. You can freeze extra buns you aren’t serving. Make the cream the sauce by melting butter in a saucepan. Add green onions and sauté for 1 minute and add the dill. Add cream until bubbles start to form. Pour over buns and bake for another 20 minutes. Serve hot.