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Georgia

Khevsur Kuserbo with Grated Potato and Cheese

Make Khevsur Kuserbo with raw grated potatoes browned in erbo, melted fresh cheese and a cool matsoni, cottage-cheese and spring-onion sauce

Georgian home recipeGeorgian dish
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A hot skillet of clarified-butter potatoes folded with cheese beside a cool yogurt, cottage-cheese and spring-onion dip.
Yield4 portions
Serving basisOne quarter of the Kuserbo and accompanying sauce
DifficultyModerate
Dietary classificationVegetarian only if dairy uses non-animal rennet; contains milk
The dish

About Khevsur Kuserbo with Grated Potato and Cheese

Raw-Grated Potato Kuserbo with Cold Yogurt and Spring-Onion Sauce

Kuserbo is a Khevsureti dish in which erbo, or clarified butter, is melted into cheese; a cheese-and-potato version is also documented. This edition follows a regional preparation using coarsely grated raw potatoes, rinsed to remove surface starch, cooked in erbo and mixed with fresh cheese until nearly homogeneous. A cold mixture of matsoni or plain yogurt, cottage cheese and spring onion is served beside it.

The ranked workbook contains another Kuserbo entry at rank 196. That recipe follows a separate boiled-potato method with garlic-infused butter. Here the potatoes start raw and grated, so draining and pressing them dry are important: surface water would steam the strands instead of letting them brown. The measured quantities below are a practical home rendition; households and cheese moisture differ.

Use a deep, heavy skillet so the potato layer can cook evenly without spilling as you turn it. The finished mixture should be tender throughout, browned in spots and bound by melted cheese. Keep the dairy sauce cold and spoon it onto each serving at the table.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Full recipe

Kuserbo

  • 600 gpotatoes, scrubbed, peeled and weighed before grating
  • 80 gerbo (clarified butter), about 88 ml
  • 160 gpasteurized fresh unsalted cow’s-milk cheese, coarsely grated

Cold yogurt sauce

  • 200 gplain matsoni or whole-milk plain yogurt
  • 100 gcottage cheese
  • 20 gspring onion, finely sliced
  • 1 gfine salt, or to taste
Method

Method

  1. Prepare the potatoes and sauce Coarsely grate the peeled potatoes into a large bowl of cold water. Soak for 10 minutes, stirring once. Meanwhile, mix the matsoni or yogurt, cottage cheese, spring onion and salt in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate the sauce.

  2. Drain and dry Drain the potatoes, rinse under fresh cold water and drain again. Spread them on a clean tea towel and press firmly until no water drips and the shreds feel damp rather than wet.

  3. Brown the potatoes Melt the erbo in a deep, heavy 30 cm skillet over medium heat. Add the potato in an even layer. Cook for 15–18 minutes, turning and stirring every 2–3 minutes so the strands brown in places without scorching. They should be tender throughout, with no firm or raw-tasting centre.

  4. Melt in the cheese Scatter the grated fresh cheese over the potatoes. Fold and stir for 2–3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and binds the potatoes into a soft, nearly homogeneous mixture. Taste before adding any salt; the cheese may already season the dish.

  5. Serve hot Divide the Kuserbo among four plates while hot. Serve the cold yogurt sauce alongside so each person can add it to taste.

Excerpt

Excerpt

Khevsur Kuserbo pairs grated potatoes browned in clarified butter with melted fresh cheese and a cool matsoni, cottage-cheese and spring-onion sauce.

Practical guidance

Success points

  • Soak, rinse and press the grated potatoes very dry; damp shreds will steam and can make the pan splatter.
  • Cook until the potato strands are tender throughout before adding cheese; use fresh unsalted cheese and taste before adding any extra salt.
Practical guidance

Practical guidance

  • A deep 30 cm pan gives the 600 g of potato enough room to brown. If your skillet is smaller, cook the potatoes in two batches, using half the erbo for each, then combine before adding the cheese.
  • Keep the dairy sauce refrigerated until serving. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or below; use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 74°C/165°F, measured with a food thermometer.
  • The fresh cheese should be unsalted and meltable. If only salted cheese is available, taste before adding salt. For the sauce, matsoni can be replaced with plain whole-milk yogurt; cottage cheese may be lightly mashed for a smoother texture.
Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving

  • Serving size: 1/4 of the full Kuserbo and sauce
  • Calories: ≈420 kcal
  • Carbohydrate: ≈32 g
  • Protein: ≈12 g
  • Fat: ≈28 g
  • Fibre: ≈3.3 g
  • Sodium: ≈350 mg
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Contains milk. Use pasteurized dairy and clean utensils; keep the sauce refrigerated until service. Cook the raw grated potato until tender throughout. Refrigerate perishable leftovers within 2 hours at 4°C or below and use within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 74°C/165°F as measured with a food thermometer. Vegetarian suitability depends on the rennet used in the cheeses.

Closing notes

Closing notes

  • The raw-grated version should be hot and cohesive, with browned potato strands held together by melted cheese and cool sauce on the side.
  • Dry the rinsed potato well, and let it turn tender before stirring in the cheese.