Homemade Cheese & Potato Pierogi

Remember that bucket list I had going on the blog?  Yeah…

It’s been a loooong time since I checked anything off of there.  Or added anything for that matter.

But that changes today because I made homemade Cheese & Potato Pierogi.  Before, I’d only eaten the frozen variety (and they’re delicious!!) so I knew I needed to make them from scratch because they would be that much better.

Oh, before we go on – I grew up calling these ‘pierogies’, which, as far as I can tell, is Americanized, because pierogi is already the plural of the rarely used singular ‘pierog’.  Cue the NBC Rainbow ♪The more you know!!♪

Source

Anyhow, as expected, the homemade pierogi were completely amazing and blew the frozen ones out of the park – it was probably the stick of butter the recipe called for (shhhhh…no one needs to know, let’s just enjoy us some pierogi).

The end result is quite labor intensive, but well worth it once you give them a taste.  Plus, you can always freeze a few after they’re made, but before they’re cooked (but we totally just ate the whole batch).  Enjoy!

Homemade Cheese & Potato Pierogi

Adapted from Taste of Home

Dough

2 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

½ cup warm water

1 egg

1 egg yolk

¼ cup (4 tbsp) butter, softened

Caramelized Onions

2 medium white onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp butter

Salt & pepper

Filling

2 medium potatoes, diced

¼ cup caramelized onions (above)

2 oz cream cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar jack cheese

Salt & pepper

To finish

2 tbsp butter

Caramelized onions (above)

Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Chives

Fit a food processor with the dough blade.  Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine.  Add the water, eggs, and butter and pulse until the dough forms a ball.  Place the dough in a bowl and loosely cover.  Set aside for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, melt the butter in large skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions and stir to coat.  Cook the onions for 2-3 minutes or until they just begin to soften.  Turn heat to medium low and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions reach a rich amber color, about 30 minutes.  Set aside in a covered bowl, reserving about ¼ cup for the filling.  Reserve the skillet for cooking pierogi.

While the onions cook, add the potatoes to a pot of salted, boiling water and cook until very tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain and pour into a bowl.

Stir ¼ cup caramelized onions, cream cheese, cheddar jack, salt and pepper into the potatoes, mashing until smooth and combined.  Set aside to cool slightly.

Roll the dough thinly on a lightly floured surface.  Use a 3-inch round cutter to cut dough rounds (right away, collect the scraps, knead them together and set aside to rest).  Place approximately 2 teaspoons on the filling into the center of each dough round.  Lightly wet the edges of the dough with water, then slightly stretch the dough over the filling, fold over, and press together.  Seal by pressing the edge with the tines of a fork.

Repeat with any remaining dough until the dough and filling are used up.

To cook, heat a large soup pot with boiling water.  Melt a tablespoon of butter in the large skillet the onions were cooked in, over medium heat.

Working in batches, add the pierogi to the boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook the pierogi for 1-2 minutes or until they float to the top of the pot.  Once the pierogi float, scoop them out with a slotted soon and place in the hot skillet.  Cook until browned, then flip and repeat.  Continue cooking and adding additional butter to the pot until all the pierogi are cooked.

To serve, top the pierogi with the remaining caramelized onions, fresh chives, and sour cream.

Serves 3-4 hungry people