In marrying a Polish man, I felt it was my wifely duty to perfect the most popular dish know to Polish culture: the Pierogi.  Before meeting Justin, I never had a Pierogi before, and I taught myself how to make them, blindly without having ever tasted one.  Since I’ve mastered my own Pierogi recipe, it has become one of Justin’s favorite things that I cook.  I must admit, they’re addictive – how could you not like potato and cheese stuffed in delicious dough, served with sour cream?

Recently I've gotten more experimental with both my pierogi fillings and cooking techniques. I've made some Buffalo Chicken Pierogies as well as Italian Pierogies (stuffed with fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato confit). But alas, I always come back to the beginning: the Potato and Cheese Pierogi.

Pierogi Filling

Prep Time

30 Minutes
Cook Time

30 Minutes
Total Time

1 Hour
Yield

20-25 Pierogies

Ingredients

  • 2 Potatoes (Peeled and cut into cubes)
  • 1 Cups grated Cheddar Cheese
  • 1/4 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 1 T minced Thyme (leaves only)
  • 1 tsps minced Fresh Rosemary (leaves only)
  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions

  • Peel and cut up your potatoes into inch big cubes. Boil in heavily salted water until fork tender. Drain water and mash potatoes in the same pot you cooked them in.
  • To your potatoes, add in all the other ingredients for the filling and mix together. * if you find you need more moisture, add more heavy cream or use a little Olive Oil
  • For assembly: Roll out your dough on a non-stick surface, and with a 3-4 inch diameter circle cookie cutter, cut out pierogi circles. Have a bowl of water on the side. To your dough, with your finger, add some water to the edges. Put about 1 tablespoon of your filling into the center of your dough. Fold one edge over to the other to form a half circle and press the edges together. The water is necessary to help seal the dough together. Repeat this process until all the dough is used up.
  • To Cook: In a large pot, bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil (you want enough water in your pot so that you have about a 3-4 inch depth of water in your pot). Add in your pierogi’s to the boiling pot. You may need to do this in a couple of shifts depending on how large your pot is. Once the pierogi’s start rising to the surface of the water, they’re done cooking and can be removed and placed on a plate. Cook all the pierogi’s like this and set aside on a plate.
  • In a large skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons of Canola Oil. Heat up the oil, and once it’s hot, add in your pierogies. Cook them (flipping over every few minutes) until they’re golden brown. Serve with sour cream.

Sara's Favorite Dough

Prep Time

10 Minutes
Total Time

10 Minutes
Yield

1 Sheet Dough

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Flour
  • 1/4 Cups cubed Butter
  • 3/4 Cups Sour Cream
  • 1/2 tsps Salt

Directions

  • Mix all ingredients in a food processor fitted with a dough blade. Turn out onto a non-stick, lightly floured surface & then kneed.
  • Roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness