Vareniki is a favorite and popular dish of Russian cuisine. The most common filling for dumplings is mashed potatoes. For the dish to succeed, the mashed potatoes must be dense, but airy. But what if it turned out to be too liquid? A few simple tips will help you.
In an effort to make airy mashed potatoes, many housewives make the mistake of adding too much liquid when whipping potatoes. The result is a watery puree that is not suitable for filling. Such dumplings will not keep their shape, and at the slightest violation of the integrity of the dumplings during boiling, the mashed potatoes will pour out. Of course, you can always prepare a new portion of the filling to replace the spoiled one, but it will take a lot of time and effort. Simple advice from experienced housewives will help correct the situation.
If the situation cannot be corrected, do not throw away the mashed potatoes. You can cook a lot of delicious dishes from it: zrazy, cutlets, pancakes, casseroles, cream soup, etc.
Evaporation of liquid
If the puree turns out to be liquid, you can try to evaporate the excess liquid. This can be done in two ways. Put the saucepan over low heat. Evaporate moisture for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly. You can also add cream to the puree, which will thicken when heated, and the mass will acquire a denser consistency. The second method involves evaporating the water in the oven. To do this, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the mashed potatoes on it in a not very thick layer, about 1 cm high. After 5 minutes, check if enough liquid has evaporated. Avoid crusting the puree, otherwise you will end up with a potato casserole instead of filling for the dumplings.
Always mash the same potato variety, as different varieties have different cooking times. And if you digest a potato, it becomes watery.
Additional ingredients
If you don't mind making a combined filling for dumplings, you can add grated cheese to the puree. This will also help thicken the puree.
If you have a pack of instant mashed potatoes in your house, you can try thickening the liquid filling with it. The taste of such a puree may differ from the original, but the filling will be saved.
Flour and starch will make the puree thicker and more viscous. However, it is worth remembering that in this case, the dumplings may turn out to be heavier and more nutritious.
Always add butter first, before the rest of the liquid components: potato broth, milk, broth. This is a necessary ingredient in the puree, and the rest of the liquid components are required not so much for flavoring as for adjusting the consistency of the filling.
