Vegetarian bastilles, kolduny, or vegetarian stuffed potato patties with a mushroom filling

Step 1

Wash Baby Boomer potatoes and place them in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then continue cooking until they are easily pierced through with a fork (the Little Potato Company's baby boomers take only 15 minutes from the boiling point to come to a perfectly boiled state). Remove from pot, drain through a colander, and let potatoes dry.

Step 2

While potatoes are cooking, mince an onion finely. Bring a pan to medium-high heat, add 1 TB canola oil, and sautée onion for 10 minutes until it changes colour.

Step 3

Meanwhile, finely dice mushrooms. Add mushrooms to pan along with an additional tablepsoon of oil. Let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season w salt, 1/2 tsp of paprika, and black pepper to taste (the pepper won't be that noticeable after you cook these).

Step 4

Mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher - this should result in a beautifully creamy puree (unsurprisingly, Creamer potatoes cream very well). Season puree with 1 tsp of salt and more black pepper.

Step 5

Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C.

Step 6

To form patties, wet your hands. Take a portion of the potato mash and place it in your palm, flattening it into a thin layer. Take 1/2 tsp of the mushroom mixture and place in the center of the potato; curve your palm slightly, enabling you to close the potatoes around the filling (you may need a bit more of the potato mash). This should create a puffed little ball; flatten it slightly into a patty.

Step 7

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and oil it well.

Step 8

Pour breadcrumbs onto a flat plate. Brush each patty with a bit of oil, and roll it in the breadcrumbs, ensuring an even coating (do not skip this step! If you do, your patties will flatten quite a bit and will lack the crispy exterior). Place on the baking sheet.

Step 9

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Turn potatoes over carefully with a spatula (they can be brittle), and bake another 10 minutes.

Step 10

Remove, and serve immediately with tahini sauce (blend equal amounts of water and raw tahini, 2 garlic cloves, a generous helping of lemon juice, salt, pepper and paprika until the resulting sauce is silky smooth) - or, the truly Israeli way, with ketchup.