Pierogies are Central and Eastern Europe's version of Chinese dumplings or Italian ravioli. They are essentially half-moon shaped noodles stuffed with a filling.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Servings: 24pierogies (or 48 pierogies if reusing scraps)
In a small bowl, whisk egg, sour cream, butter, and salt.
Place flour into a large bowl and gently stir the wet ingredients into the flour.
After stirring for a minute or two, the dough will start to come together. Knead it a little bit in the bowl, incorporating any dough scraps stuck to the sides or bottom of the bowl.
Turn out to a Roul'Pat or a cutting board with a thin layer of vegetable oil and knead for about one minute.
Cover the dough with a mixing bowl and let rest for 15 minutes.
Filling Instructions
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add water to cover by about 2 inches.
Stir in salt, cover, and bring to a boil on medium heat.
Uncover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Drain out liquid using a colander and return potatoes to the pot.
Cook potatoes on low heat for thirty seconds, stirring the whole time, to remove any excess liquid.
Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. (If you want to get fancy, you can use a ricer or a food mill fitted with a fine disc to make the potatoes extra smooth.)
Stir in cheese and milk. You should be able to roll the mixture into small balls at this point. If the mixture is too dry, you can add a little extra milk.
Assembly Instructions
Divide dough into four equal pieces with a bench scraper or a knife. Cover three of the pieces with a mixing bowl.
Roll out the remaining piece of dough as thinly as possible into a rough 8" x 12" rectangle on a Roul'Pat or a cutting board with a thin layer of vegetable oil Depending on the type of rolling pin you are using, you may also need to apply vegetable oil to the rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking.
Use a 3" round cookie cutter to cut the dough into six circles.
Spoon approximately one teaspoon of filling onto the center of each circle.
Whisk the egg and water until blended. Then, using your finger, swipe a very small amount of egg around the edge of each circle. This egg wash acts as a sort of glue.
For each circle, stretch one half of the dough over the filling to meet the other side in a half-moon shape. Use your thumb to press the edge closed.
Repeat for the other three dough sections. See note on re-rolling scraps.
Storage Instructions
If not freezing or cooking immediately, cover pierogies with plastic wrap or a non-terry cloth kitchen towel, then store at room temperature for up to one hour or refrigerate up to three hours before cooking.
To freeze, line a rimmed baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Place pierogies in a single layer on the sheet and freeze at least 30 minutes or until hard. Transfer frozen pierogies to a freezer bag. Store up to three months.
Cooking Instructions
To boil fresh or frozen pierogies, boil a pot of water over medium-high heat (approximately 1 quart of water for every 6 pierogies). Add pierogies and cook until floating, 2-3 minutes for fresh and 4 to 5 minutes for frozen. Serve with grilled onions and sour cream.
To pan-fry fresh or boiled pierogies, heat one tablespoon neutral oil (like canola or vegetable oil) or melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add as many pierogies as will fit in a single layer without crowding. Cook until pierogies are brown and crispy, about two minutes per side. Repeat with additional oil or butter and pierogies. Serve with grilled onions and sour cream.
Reheating Instructions
Reheat cooked pierogies in a 350 F oven, in a skillet over low heat with melted butter or oil, or microwave in one minute increments until warm. Keep large quantities of pierogies warm at parties by tossing with butter or oil and storing in a covered casserole dish in a 300 F oven.
Notes
Pierogi Love gives very specific instructions regarding the dough scraps: "Resist the temptation to re-roll dough scraps for additional rounds. It seems wasteful, but the dough won't be as tender the second time around." Well, I couldn't resist the temptation. :) True, the re-rolled scraps were a little bit more chewy, but only a pierogi connoisseur would really notice. Re-rolling the scraps actually doubled the number of pierogies that I could make from the recipe and there was still enough filling.You may have extra filling. Just eat it! It tastes great!