Potato, Cheese, and Onion Peirogi
Large bowl
Stock pot
Sauté pan
Potato ricer
Rolling pin and 3-inch round cutter
Baking sheets & Parchment paper
1.
Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sour cream, and eggs. Roll onto a lightly floured surface and knead for five to seven minutes until smooth. Use additional flour for dusting the work surface. Alternatively, you can place ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and knead for seven minutes. Cover the dough with a dampened tea towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
2.
Prepare the filling: Peel the potatoes and cut into quarters. Add to a large stockpot with a teaspoon of salt and cover with cold water by two inches. Bring to a boil on high heat then reduce heat to simmer till tender, about 25 minutes.
3.
While potatoes cook, finely chop the onions. In a large pan set on medium heat, melt the butter, add onions, and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently until onions are gold or amber, adjusting heat as necessary, taking care not to brown but to allow the natural sugars to caramelize from the inside, about 30 minutes, or more as necessary.
4.
Drain cooked potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Using the potato ricer, rice the potatoes. Add onions and cheese. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine. Set aside and let cool.
5.
Divide dough into two pieces. Place one piece on a floured surface and leave the other under the dampened towel to stay moist. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is ⅛ inch thick. Using the cutter, cut about 15 disks.
6.
Assemble the pierogi: Have a cup of water handy. Place a little less than a tablespoon of filling the center of each disk. Using your finger and the cup of water, lightly wet the edge of one half of the disk. Pull the dry half over the filling and press against the wetted edge. Pinch the middle, then work up from the two sides, forming a seal. You can make a crimped pattern by pushing the rounded edge between your thumb and finger, working along the edge. Additionally, you can use a fork to pinch the seal. Place individually on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
7.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
8.
At this point, you can freeze the pierogi in one layer on the baking sheets. Once frozen you can put into a container or freezer bags to use at a later time.
9.
To cook the pierogi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook in batches so they do not crowd the pot and stick to each other. The pierogi will float to the top in about two minutes. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a baking sheet lined with a rack to drain. Repeat with the remaining pierogi.
10.
Serve as they are, topped with browned butter and sour cream, or pan-fry them in butter until golden.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 5 ¾ cups/750 grams all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pint/2 cups/455 grams sour cream
- 3 medium eggs, beaten
For the filling:
- ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ½ pound/670 grams yellow onions, about three
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup/8 ounces/225 grams quark cheese or white cheddar
Cook's Notes
My babcia, Katarzyna Genowefa Kolano Wołosz, came to the US on the ship Kronprinzessin Cecilie through Ellis Island in 1913. She and dziadzio made their home in Garfield, New Jersey, raising my dad, his eight sisters, and his brother. Around holidays, such as Easter, I like to make pierogi for my family, especially for my dad.
I use babcia’s dough recipe; however, I use my own, more traditional, filling recipe.
It is interesting to note the American ingredients available at that time. Babcia’s recipe calls for two kinds of cheese; among her choices were Velvetta and Kraft Singles.
I remember being very young, visiting their Garfield home, and helping make pierogi by opening the plastic wrap of many Kraft Singles. That immigrant generation had to learn to make do with what they had.
I give a traditional Polish potato and cheese filling recipe using quark, an Eastern European cheese now easily found at better grocery stores. White cheddar works well too. I also use onions sautéed for some time because I like a little more depth of flavor.
I have recently been pairing these with our Napa Valley Chardonnay.