Slovak / Ukrainian pagach (puh-GAHTCH) is traditionally served at meatless meals as for Advent, Lent and the beautiful Christmas Eve supper. It is a flat bread with a potato, cheese, or cabbage filling and makes an excellent vegetarian entree. Oftentimes, making bread while on the road and fulltiming can be quite a chore. The bread needs to be kneaded, rise, and baked along with the contents. For those of us trying to watch the intake of carbohydrates, the use of flatbread can prove detrimental. I’ve found a quick and excellent alternative with far less calories and much less time involved. These are easily handled and can be pawned off to friends as quesadillas with an ethnic twist. Here’s the recipe. Thinly slice three sweet onions, finely chop two cloves of garlic and then sautee both of these together with butter in a medium skillet. I’ve found that butter works much better than vegatable oil. Next, prepare three good size potatoes and mash them. While still warm, sprinkle in two cups of shredded cheese of your choice. Personally I prefer some good quality mozzarella. For you RVers on the go, forego making your own mashed potatoes and choose Bob Evans garlic potatoes from your grocer’s cooler. Much easier to handle as they just need heated in your microwave. Add the cheese to this as well after they’re heated. While you’re at the grocery, pick up a pack of ten inch tortilla shells. These will be use in lieu of the flatbread. Buying the mashed potatoes already prepared, along with the tortilla shells, you can save a great deal of time. The entire process should take about fifteen minutes. Sauteeing the onions is the lengthy part of the process. Once the onions and garlic are sauteed and the potatoes finished, place a tortilla shell on a flat griddle or iron to slowly heat. Spoon on the cheese potatoes and spread over one-half of the shell. Top the potatoes with the onion and garlic mixture. Close the other half of the shell on top of this mixture. Heat until golden brown and then flip to heat the opposite side. Using your pizza cutter, section into thirds, making these much easier to handle. Place on your dinner plate and savor the goodness. The great thing about these is you can fill them with any ingredients of your choice.
