Sklandrausis comes from Kurzeme, the western region of Latvia, where the Suiti people and their Livonian forebears have been baking it for centuries. It looks like a small open tart: a thin, sturdy round of rye dough with its edge turned up, filled first with a thin layer of potato mashed with sour cream and butter, then a thicker layer of carrot sweetened with sugar, and sprinkled with caraway before it goes into a hot oven. Potato and carrot in a sweet pie may sound like a dare, but the result is somewhere between a pumpkin pie and a savory tart, and it is very good indeed.

In 2013 the European Union gave sklandrausis Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status, which means its method is protected even if your oven is not in Kurzeme. It is sturdy enough to travel and as happy at a picnic as on a coffee table.

The fillings

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) floury potatoes
• 1 1/4 lb (570 g) carrots
• 1/3 cup (80 g) sour cream
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

The rye pastry

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240 g) rye flour
• 1/2 cup (60 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 tablespoons (60 g) butter
• about 1/2 cup (120 ml) cold water

Filling and baking

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar

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