Grandma’s Pierogies
20 Minutes
Cooking Time - 6 - 8 Minutes
12 Servings
Introduction

Pierogi’s are delicious half moon shaped dumplings from Poland that can be filled with mashed potatoes, grated cheddar cheese and caramelized onions served with a dollop of crème fraiche and crispy crumbled bacon. Divine!
Steps
Preparation:
Pierogi filling
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook until tender
Drain the potatoes, transfer them back to the empty pot to dry cook them – 2 minutes or so
Remove from pot and pass them through a ricer or food mill. Transfer to a mixing bowl and beat in the egg.
Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt the butter in a large pan, add the onions and cook= about 10 minutes or until the onions have a nice and golden color, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and combine with the potato mixture, cheese, salt & pepper let cool before filling the pierogies. You can freeze any leftover filling.
Preparation:
Pierogi dough
Place the cream cheese, egg and salt in the bowl of a mixer or food processor.
Attach the paddle and beat at slow speed until the mixture is nice and smooth.
Add the 2 tablespoons of water and beat again until smooth.
Add the flour and beat, at slow to medium speed, until the mixture forms a nice dough and comes away from the sides.
Remove dough from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured board until shiny and elastic and no longer sticky – about 5 minutes.
Cover with a damp cloth at let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or overnight in the fridge.
Divide the dough into 4 sections while keeping the other 3 covered to keep them moist.
Lightly flour a board and roll out the dough to about twice the thickness of ravioli as the dough is much softer.
Roll dough into a square and cut into rounds, with a large food ring or large cookie cutter.
Spoon the filling into the center and gently fold the edges onto each other to seal. With a skewer, prick each pierogi in the center to prevent it from opening while cooking.
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the pierogies, a few at the time.
They are ready when they rise to the top, just like ravioli – about 3-4 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, remove from water and set aside.
Meanwhile, over medium heat, melt butter in a non-stick pan, add the pierogies to the butter and fry until nice and golden with a slightly crispy edge. Do not overcrowd the pan.
Serve with melted butter, a dollop of crème fraiche and crispy bacon bits.
Ingredients
For the filling:
900g/2 lbs or 4-6 medium size Yukon gold potatoes, cut in chunks
3 medium sized onions, diced
225g/ ½lbs cheddar cheese
1 large egg
55g/¼ cup unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the dough:
115g/ 4oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons warm water
225g/ ½ lb flour