Kačamak with Cheese and Kajmak

The launch recipes on this site are almost all chicken, and I wanted at least a few dinners that are vegetarian and cheap without feeling like a compromise. Kačamak is basically cheesy mashed potatoes with a cornmeal backbone, which is about as kid-safe as a new dish gets, and the technique (boil, stir, beat) is something I can teach my son while we cook. The thing I most want to learn is the texture: Montenegrin cooks beat it until it pulls away from the spoon in strands, and I am curious whether supermarket cheese can get there. It is weeknight-feasible because it is one pot and the salad takes five minutes.

• Coarse yellow cornmeal: Medium or coarse grind, the kind sold as polenta, gives the right body. Fine cornmeal turns gummy. Bob's Red Mill coarse-ground or any polenta-labeled cornmeal works.
• Young white brined cheese: In Montenegro this would be a fresh local sheep's or cow's cheese. Feta (preferably a milder cow's-milk feta) is the closest supermarket match; a mix of feta and shredded low-moisture mozzarella gives both the tang and the stretch.
• Kajmak stand-in: Real kajmak is rare in US stores. Mix softened cream cheese with butter and a spoon of sour cream, or simply use good butter plus a little sour cream; the dish will still be delicious.
• Plain whole-milk yogurt: Standing in for kiselo mlijeko. Thin it with a little milk so it pours; it is a drink and a sauce at once.

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Put them in a large heavy pot with 6 cups of cold water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
2. Make the kajmak stand-in: beat the cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of the butter and the sour cream together with a pinch of salt until fluffy. Set aside at room temperature.
3. Crumble the feta and combine it with the shredded mozzarella in a bowl.
4. Thin the yogurt with the milk until pourable; season with a tiny pinch of salt. Chill.
5. Dice the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and pepper (if using). Toss with chopped parsley, vinegar, olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate.

1. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook 15–18 minutes, until completely soft and starting to fall apart. Do not drain; leave about 1 inch of water above the potatoes, pouring off any extra into a cup in case you need it later.
2. Lower the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the potatoes in a steady stream while stirring with a sturdy wooden spoon. The mixture will seize and thicken quickly.
3. Cover and cook 8–10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and scraping the bottom, until the cornmeal has lost its raw taste and the mass is very thick. Add a splash of the reserved water if it becomes too stiff to stir.
4. Take the pot off the heat. Mash the potatoes into the cornmeal with a masher or the back of the spoon until mostly smooth; a little texture is fine.
5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the kajmak stand-in and the cheese mixture in two additions, beating hard with the spoon after each until the cheese melts and the kačamak turns glossy and pulls away from the sides of the pot. This takes a couple of minutes of real effort. Taste for salt; feta is salty, so you may need none.
6. Return to very low heat for 1 minute to warm through, then serve immediately; kačamak stiffens as it cools.

Spoon the kačamak into a warm shallow bowl in the middle of the table and make a dip in the top for a knob of butter or an extra spoon of kajmak stand-in. Serve the salad alongside and pour the thinned yogurt into small glasses; Montenegrins alternate bites of hot kačamak with sips of cold sour milk. Nothing is spicy, so my son's plate is simply a smaller portion with cucumber. Slices of prosciutto or a fried egg on top are traditional additions outside the vegetarian version. Leftovers firm up in the fridge; slice and pan-fry them in butter the next day.