Traditional Potato + Onion Pierogi (Polish Dumplings)

Controversial opinion alert. The dumpling is probably the most perfect food ever invented. Piles of deliciousness stuffed inside more carby deliciousness. Pierogi (puh-row-gee) are no exception to this rule. Common fillings include potato and cheese, potato and onion, cabbage and mushroom, sauerkraut, and various meats. This recipe for Traditional Potato + Onion Pierogi is my favorite. Caramelized onions, sour cream and butter really round out the flavors and make this a staple comfort food. As with any pasta-based dish, this recipe is a bit labor intensive; good for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Makes: 24ish dumplings
Prep time: 1-2 hours
Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 eggs

• ⅓ cup of room temperature water

• ½ tsp of salt

For the filling

• 1-2 medium Russet potatoes (you want about 2 cups mashed)

• 1 onion, diced

• 4 tbsp of butter, divided

• ⅓ cup of sour cream

• Salt & pepper

Optional for serving 

• Sour cream

• Melted butter

• Sautéed onions

• Chili oil (not traditional, but delicious)

Instructions

Make the dough like a polish grannie*

I’ve had this dough recipe forever. I got it from my mother, who probably got it from my grandmother, who got it from who-knows-where. If you know where it came from, leave me a message and I will properly attribute it.

1. Pile 2 cups of flour onto a flat surface. Make a deep well in the center. 

2. Drop 2 eggs, ⅓ cup of water and ½ tsp of salt into the well. Use one hand to mix and the other to help keep the flour walls intact. Mix from the inside-out using a gentle stirring motion. You’ll slowly start to see the liquid mixture pull flour from the walls. When you have a thick, gelatinous mixture, you can start to fold in more of the flour. Knead the dough by using the heel of your hand to stretch it out and then fold it over. Repeat this process until you have a smooth and slightly firm ball of dough. Be careful not to over-knead, as this can result in tough, chewy dough.

3. Cover the dough with a bowl and let rest for 10-30 minutes. This will help the gluten develop & relax, making it easier to roll out. 

4. Divide the dough in half and cover one half with a towel or plastic wrap to keep moist. Roll out the dough until you have a ravioli-thin sheet of dough. Use a 3-inch biscuit cutter or glass to create roughly 12 pierogi shells. 

5. Spoon a small amount of filling into the center of each shell. Moisten the edge of each shell with water. Fold the shell over the filling to create half-moons and press the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with the other half of the dough.

*If you’re just a normal human being and don’t have the time and patience to make the dough like a polish grannie, you can skip the flour well in steps 1 and 2 and just dump the ingredients in a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. I do it this way 90% of the time.

To make the filling

1. Peel and chop the potatoes into large chunks. Add them to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook them until they are tender enough for a fork to easily pierce them. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water for later. 

2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium-low. Add the onion and cook until golden brown and caramelized. Once they’re done, remove the skillet from heat.

3. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them and add them back to the pot with 2 tbsp of butter and ⅓ cup of sour cream. Mash all the ingredients together. If the filling is looking a little dry, add in some of the reserved water to help moisten them.

4. Add the cooked butter and onions to the potatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I generally add at least 1 tsp of salt, but add a little at a time and taste as you go). 

Cook the pierogi

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted** water to boil. 

2. In batches of 6-10, add the pierogi to the boiling water. You don’t want to cook all the pierogi at once because A) they will stick together and you’ll end up with a pierogi pile instead of individual pierogi and B) adding them all at onces really brings down the temperature of the water, causing them to take longer to cook. They can also fall apart and just be messy if this happens. When the pierogi float on the surface of the water, they are done. This usually only takes a minute or two. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked pierogi and set aside.

3. Heat 1-2 tbsp of butter over medium in the same skillet you cooked the onions in. Once the skillet is nice and hot, add the pierogi. Only add as many as can fit in a single layer in the skillet. Cook on each side until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.

4. Serve with additional melted butter, sour cream, and/or more sautéed onions. I like a little heat with mine, so I serve mine with sour cream and chili oil. YUM.

** Like your girl, Samin, taught you. It should “taste like the ocean.”

Pro tip: Freezing Pierogi

After you’ve assembled the pierogi, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or flour the surface. Arrange the uncooked pierogi in a single layer on the baking sheet and place in the freezer for 1 hour. At this point, you should be able to gently pull the frozen pierogi off of the baking sheet and place in a freezer safe storage container or ziplock bag. You can store this way for up to 3 months. To cook, just drop the frozen pierogi into boiling water and cook as your normally would.