Latvian Rye Tarts with Potato and Carrot
These are Latvian pastries with potato and carrot. They are considered a Latvian national dish because the tradition of making them goes back a long way. This is an authentic recipe from the Kurzeme region. It is a classic version, and everyone can add something to suit their own taste.
Updated : 17 March, 2026
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
Dough
1000 grams
Rye flour
100 grams
Wheat flour
120 grams
Margarine
350 milliliters
Water
1 teaspoon
Salt
Filling
1.5 kilograms
Potato
1.5 kilograms
Carrot
180 grams
Butter
800 grams
Sour cream
150 grams
Sugar
4
Eggs
1 teaspoon
Salt
0.5 teaspoon
Caraway
50 grams
Semolina
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
Mix the flour with hot water, to which margarine or butter and salt have been added beforehand. Knead the dough.
Step 2
Roll out the finished dough to a thickness of about 2-3 mm, about 1/16-1/8 inch, and cut out round discs 8-14 cm in diameter, about 3-5.5 inches. Pinch the edges of the discs so that little baskets are formed; you can also use special molds to make this easier. Then place them on a greased baking sheet.
Step 3
Boil the potatoes and mash them. Add salt to taste, half of the specified amount of sour cream and eggs, and you can also add melted butter; in other words, make mashed potatoes. Mix all the ingredients until smooth. Instead of boiled potatoes, you can use raw potatoes grated on a coarse grater and squeezed to remove excess liquid.
Step 4
Boil and mash the carrots the same way as the potatoes. Then add the sour cream and eggs remaining after the potato mixture. Add semolina or wheat flour to the mixture. This depends on personal preference: you can make one part with semolina and another part with wheat flour. Instead of boiled carrots, you can also use raw grated carrots, just as with the potatoes.
Step 5
Place the potato mixture into the dough baskets and put the carrot mixture on top in a 1:1 proportion. Bake at 220-250°C, about 425-480°F, until the dough base becomes dry, about 15-30 minutes. The finished pastries can be brushed with sour cream and sprinkled with sugar, caraway seeds, or cinnamon according to your taste and preference. For example, I do not like caraway.
Step 6
When preparing the filling, you can also give free rein to your culinary imagination and add other ingredients to your taste. For the first time, you can reduce the amount of the listed ingredients and make a smaller batch to try them out.
Author note
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