Potato Blinis Lithuanian Recipes

POTATO BLINIS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Prick potatoes all over with a fork and bake on a rimmed baking sheet until very tender and a knife slides easily through flesh, 60-70 minutes. Let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 200°F.
• Meanwhile, whisk egg yolks, egg, and sour cream in a medium bowl to combine; set sour cream mixture aside.
• Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop flesh from skins; discard skins. Pass flesh through food mill or ricer fitted with the small-hole disk into a large bowl. Working quickly, sprinkle flour, salt, pepper, baking soda, and nutmeg over potatoes; toss lightly with a fork to distribute ingredients, fluff potatoes, and break up any clumps. Make a well in the center and pour in reserved sour cream mixture. Whisk in a circular motion, working from the center out to incorporate, just until smooth (it should look like a thick pancake batter). Cover; let sit 10 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet, preferably nonstick or cast iron, over medium-low. Brush skillet with a thin layer of butter. Spoon scant tablespoonfuls of batter into skillet, spacing about 1" apart. Cook blinis until undersides are golden brown and surfaces look matte and bubbles form on top, about 90 seconds. Gently flip and cook until other sides are golden brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and keep warm until ready to serve (up to 1 hour before). Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out skillet between batches and brushing with more butter.

GRANDMA'S FAMOUS BLINIS

Steps:

• 1. To make the Blini shells the first step is to mix the dry ingredients(flour & sugar).Beat eggs well, Add milk to eggs. Then add to dry ingredients a little at a time, beating well. Batter will be smooth like pancake batter. Using a 7 inch skillet that has been lightly oiled/sprayed, pour thin layer of batter to cover bottom of pan. Fry till light in color, frying only the one side. Remove to a plate to cool before filling
• 2. To make cheese filling place all the filling ingredients(cheese, eggs & sugar) in a blender or food processor & mix well. ****You can also fill the shells with Applesauce, Apricot, Prune or Poppyseed filling as well.
• 3. To make Blini, place a shell on a cutting board or counter top. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of the non fried side and spread evenly creating a line in that center leaving about an inch at each end. Roll over until log forms and place in a buttered baking dish.(Be careful not to over lap the Blini) Take a spoon & run the back of the spoon through the sour cream and then spread a thin layer evenly over top of each Blini. Now Place a few pats of butter over top the prepared Blini Pan, then sprinkle with cinnamon & lightly dust with powdered sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm & enjoy

POTATO BLINIS - LITHUANIAN.

Steps:

• Grate the potatoes on the star pattern of your grater, so it comes out looking like a sort of paste.
• Stir in the salt, then start making a well in the mix with a large spoon, removing as much water as possible.
• When you are fed up with this procedure, mix in the egg. At this stage you may want to add a spoonful of flour (plain) or cornflour, but try to resist as it alters the taste of the blini. A spoon of potato flour or starch would be better, but nothing at all is really necessary.
• Add oil and butter to a hot pan, put spoonsful of mixture - 1 spoon per blini - and cook until golden, turn and cook the other side until golden. Place on a platter, covered, in a warm oven to keep warm until the rest of the mixture is cooked.
• My mother-in-law has always served these with several side dishes of quartered tomatoes, sliced lengthwise cucumbers both fresh and pickled (Polski Ogorki), sour cream, caviar, as either an entree or a main, depending upon how many pounds of potatoes used and how keen you are.