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Pierogi

Ingredients

Filling

  • 3 pounds russet or other potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ large yellow onion, chopped
  • ½ cup extra-sharp cheddar, grated

Dough

  • 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose King Arthur flour (dip and sweep method)
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • ¾ cup lukewarm water
  • more butter for coating pierogi

Topping

  • ½ pound bacon
  • ½ large yellow onion, chopped

Instructions

Prepare filling

  • Boil potatoes until easily pierced with a fork.
  • Meanwhile, saute onions in oil until soft.
  • Once potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork, drain and return immediately to pot.
  • Add sauted onions and cheese to potatoes.
  • Combine and mash until onions and cheese are fully incorporated.
  • Cool and refrigerate, preferably overnight.

Prepare dough

  • In medium bowl, combine flour and salt.
  • Make a well, the add egg and sour cream.
  • With two knives, cut egg and sour cream into flour mixture until well mixed.
  • Slowly add water, continue to cut as you do so. Cut until flour is fully incorporated.
  • The dough will be rough and probably sticky.
  • Shape dough into ball.
  • Let dough stand covered with inverted bowl for at least ½ hour.

Roll and cut dough

  • On a pastry cloth, roll out a portion of the dough until it is approx. 1/16" thick, dusting with flour as necessary. There may be too much dough to roll it all out at once.
  • Using a 3" to 3 ¼" round cookie cutter, cut out circles of the dough. Dust the cutter with flour regularly to keep it from sticking to the dough. Cut the circles as close together as you can.
  • As you cut them, place circles on clean towel, and cover with another clean town; this keeps them from drying out.
  • Gather up dough scraps, form into ball, and place under bowl to use at the end.

Fill and form

  • Remove a cup or so of filling from refrigerator. Leave the rest in the refrigerator until needed, to keep it cold.
  • Pick up a dough circle and place it in the palm of your hand.
  • With your other hand, form a ball of filling approx. 1" in diameter.
  • Place the ball of filling in the center of the dough.
  • Stretch the sides of the dough around the filling.
  • Bring the sides of the dough together, to form a ½-circle of dough.
  • Crimp the edges of the dough together, sealing the edges completely.
  • Set pierogi on a tray or surface, dusted with flour.

Cook pierogi

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Heat large frying pan on low heat.
  • Once water is boiling, place 12 pierogi at a time in the water.
  • When the pierogi float to the top, cook them for one minute more.
  • As soon as the pierogi float to the top, and a small amount of butter to the frying pan; it should be melted by the time the minute is up.
  • Remove pierogi from pot with slotted spoon and place directly in frying pan.
  • Stir to coat with butter.
  • Turn pierogi over, stir again, and remove from frying pan.
  • At this point, pierogi can be served or cooled and then frozen in ziplock bags.

Prepare topping

  • Fry bacon until crisp.
  • Remove bacon from pan, add onion, and fry onion until soft.
  • While onion is cooking, chop bacon.
  • When onion is cooked, add bacon back to pan and mix together.

Serve

Notes

Adapted from Pierogi at Noble Pig.