Meat Patties

These meat patties are closer to Polish or Russian pirozhki than anything you’d find at a burger joint. Diced veal (or pork) gets browned, then braised low and slow for two hours with onions until fall-apart tender. Mushrooms go in for the last half hour, and then the whole thing gets ground together with dill and seasoning into a fine, savory filling.

The dough is rich: butter cut into flour with egg yolks, a whole egg, and sour cream. It handles like a cross between pie crust and biscuit dough, flaky and tender enough to complement the filling without overpowering it.

Roll the dough into two long rectangles, lay a line of filling along one edge, fold over, brush with egg white to seal, and cut into individual patties. The egg white glue keeps them from popping open in the oven.

Kitchen Tips

• Braise the meat on truly low heat for the full 2 hours; shortcutting this step leaves the filling tough and grainy
• Grind the meat mixture while still warm so it processes smoothly
• Keep the butter cold when cutting into the flour for the flakiest dough
• Don’t over-knead; a few minutes is all you need or the dough turns tough

Variations

• Use ground pork instead of diced veal to skip the braising step for a quicker version
• Add a tablespoon of sauteed cabbage to the filling for a more traditional Eastern European flavor
• Brush the tops with egg wash before baking for an extra glossy, golden crust