CLASSIC POLISH PIEROGI

I enjoy making these anytime I want an immersive cooking project because there are a lot of steps and elements but that’s the fun of it. I love getting lost in this process and forgetting about whatever else is going on in my life.

It’s also very fun to make these in a group because the process lends itself well to an assembly line. One person can make the filling while another person makes the dough. One person can be filling and forming the pierogi while another person boils and fries them. 

So give this one a try and let me know in the comments how it goes.

Difficulty level: Moderate
Serves: 4
Active time: 1 hour
Total time: 1.5 - 2 hours

Makes 1.5 dozen pierogi. we usually double this if we’re making them for a holiday or just want to share them around!

For the pierogi dough:
1 cup sour cream
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the pierogi filling:
1 lb potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
1/2 yellow onion, minced
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese
salt + pepper to taste

For the sautéed onion topping:
2 yellow onions, sliced
4 tablespoons salted butter

Let’s do it!

• Start by preparing your potatoes for the filling. Peel and cube the potatoes then boil them for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain the potatoes and mash them in the same pot with the back of a wooden spoon, a potato masher or a handheld mixer.

• While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the dough. Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix all of the dough ingredients together in a large bowl. Then use your hands to knead into a soft, pliable dough. Cut in half and let rest, covered with a dish towel for 10 minutes.

• Once the potatoes are boiled and mashed, prepare the potato filling. Sauté the 1/2 onion with the butter over medium heat for 6 - 10 minutes until translucent, soft and aromatic (not quite caramelized but sweet in smell). Add the sautéed onions with the butter they were cooked in to the mashed potatoes. Add the cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to let cool slightly.

• To prepare the pierogi, get a large pot of water boiling. Grease a 9x13 dish with salted butter and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sauté the 2 sliced yellow onions with the butter for 8 - 10 minutes until translucent, soft and aromatic (not quite caramelized but sweet in smell). Set the sautéed onions aside.

• To assemble the pierogi, roll one half of the dough into a thin sheet. Using a drinking class or a round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut the dough into circles and place 1 tablespoon of filling onto the middle of each circle. Dab a bit of water on the edges of the dough circle and fold the circles in half to seal them into half moon shapes. Press the edges with your fingers or a fork to seal the pierogi closed. Set aside.

• *If you have a hand pie or dumpling mold you can also use that to press and seal the pierogi. That’s what I use and it makes it easier but I also make a lot of these so it’s no sweat if you only have your two hands.

• Working in small batches of 6 - 8 pierogi, transfer the pierogi to the pot of boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface (2 - 3 minutes). Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the floating pierogi to the buttered 9x13 dish. Once all the pierogi are boiled and in the buttered dish, top the dish off with the sautéed onions, dispersing them throughout the dish and pierogi. Transfer the dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

• *Alternatively if you don’t want to wait on your pierogis to bake, you can sauté them in a large frying pan over medium high heat after boiling them. Sometimes I prefer to do it this way and I do it in the frying pan that I cooked the onions in that way there’s extra onion flavor!

• Serve the pierogi with generous dollops of sour cream.