157. Rustic pie (Chuvash recipe)

Autumn is here, so it's high time to start using up the summer stores. I've posted authentic recipes for various pies more than once (from the Buranovskiye Babushki's perepechi to Uzbek samsa), but today under the cut there'll be an adapted version of a very filling Chuvash meat pie with a crisp crust of potato dough — khuplu.

Cooking time ≈ 1 hour 20 minutes.
Ingredients:

• 600 g potatoes
• 200 g flour
• 2 eggs
• 50 g butter
• 500 g minced meat
• 2 sweet peppers
• 2 tomatoes
• 2 onions
• 150 ml milk
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 150 g cheese
• salt, pepper and basil to taste

Mash the potatoes, boiled with salt, together with the butter.

Put the egg and the flour into the potatoes. Stir.

Cut the onion into cubes.

Chop the tomatoes.

Cut the sweet pepper into strips or cubes.

Put the minced meat in a hot frying pan and fry it.

Then add the onion and the sweet pepper to the meat, and put the tomatoes in last of all.

Season with salt, pepper and herbs.

Grease a deep-sided baking dish with butter. Spread the potato dough in the dish. The dough should be about 1 cm thick.

Spread the filling on it.

Now for the custard. Whisk an egg, add the tomato paste and stir. Pour in the milk. Cream works here too, but not a very fatty one.

Pour the custard over the pie.

Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and put it in an oven preheated to 200°C. I recommend covering it with foil so the bottom crust cooks through.

Take the tasty, golden rustic pie out of the oven.

Bon appétit!