Not Handicapped Pierogies
Pierogies are a handheld pie that is a great addition to any Tailgate. They can be made the day prior and brought to room temperature or warmed and kept warm until served. This recipe is a wonderful take on the classic. They can be made smaller, but the 3 inch round is a good one for hand held eating. This dish is also in the first volume of our book series.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup womemade or storebought yogurt
- 3 TBS unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp sea salt
Filling
- 8 oz Yukon gold potatoes Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese finely shredded (1 ounce)
- 1-2 TBS heavy cream Most heavy cream, even that labeled “organic” comes with stablizers, thickeners and other ingredients. Look for cream that is organic. I find this at regular grocery stores, and places like Whole Foods.
Assembly
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 Vidallia or sweet onion sliced
- 1 TBS unsalted butter or ghee
Instructions
Dough
- Whisk egg, yogurt and butter together in a bowl
- Keep stirring the dough until it comes together. This may take some time.
- Using your hands, smash the dough against the side of the bowl, kneading the dough until it forms a ball.
- Place the dough on a clean floured surface and knead until smooth.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick using a rolling pin. You can use a pasta machine for this.
- Cut the dough into 3-inch circles, using a round cookie cutter.
Filling
- Cook the potatoes by placing them into a sauce pan, covering by 2 inches with water. Add 1 TBS of salt, bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until potatoes are tender.
- Drain the potatoes, place back into the sauce pan and cook on low, cooking off the excess moisture.
- Use a ricer or food mill and rice the potatoes into a bowl, discard skins.
- Stir in cheese and salt. Add the cream until the consistency is firm enough to roll into a ball.
Assembly
- Fry the onions in 1 TBS EVOO until carmelized.
- Spoon about 1 tsp of the filling into each 3-inch circle, a little off center.
- Fold the Pierogi over into a half moon. Use your finger and run either water or egg around the edge of the dough to seal.
- Make the classic Pierogi edge.
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil, add 2 tsp Kosher salt.
- Boil the pierogi until they begin to float, about 2-3 minutes.
- Melt 1 TBS unsalted butter or ghee in a fry pan, fry the pierogi until brown and crispy, flip to the other side.
- Place on a plate and top with the fried carmelized sliced onions.
Notes
There are YouTube videos on how to do the classic Pieogi edge. If you want something simpler, use a fork pushing down around the half moon edge. You can also a Pierogi (Ravioli) press. I use the Küchenprofi press. It doesn’t make the classic edge, but good enough.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
