Homemade Pierogis

My Polish father requested homemade pierogi’s while I was visiting over the weekend and I happily obliged. Little did I know they would take literally ALL DAY, but holy yum they were so worth it.

I suggest having a helper (thanks mom) and/or spreading out the process over 2 days. Making the potato filling the day before not only helps divide up the work, but it is also easier to work with when it is cold.

These are definitely a labor of love! We made a ton and froze some for later, so feel free to double the recipe. Hope you enjoy! xx

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Homemade Pierogis

Servings 25 pierogis

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt

Filling:

• 1 lb Yukon potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• Salt & pepper
• Butter for frying

Toppings:

• 2 white or yellow onions sliced
• 1 tbsp oil or butter
• Sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat butter and water over medium heat until melted. Add to the flour along with the salt and combine until a flakey dough forms. Add in egg. Knead the dough- it should be nice and soft. If it’s dry, add more water. Cut into two even pieces and place in a damp paper towel to rest for 30 minutes.
2. For the filling, add your potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. Once the potatoes are soft (30ish minutes), drain them and add back in the pot to mash. Add cheese, sour cream and a generous amount of salt & pepper to taste.
3. Caramelize the onions over low heat with oil or butter, stirring occasionally for about an hour.
4. Roll out 1/2 the dough until it’s about 1/8 in thick. Use either a cookie cutter or the mouth of a cup to cut out 3-5 inch circles. Size doesn’t really matter, just make sure not to over stuff them. If they aren’t sealed properly, the potatoes will fall out when you boil them. You can use a bit of water to seal by just dipping your fingers in and using them to line the inside of the dough. Then use a fork along the outside to complete each pierogi.
5. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and place each pierogi in about 6 at a time. Once they float to the top (2 min), dry them off and pan fry them in the butter over medium heat.
6. Serve with sour cream and caramelized onions!

Recipe Notes

You can also freeze these before you boil and save for later. Another tip, these are a lot of work! Next time we decided we are going to make the filling the night before!