Pierogi have roots in both Ukraine and Poland and vary greatly among region , with different doughs and fillings .

Brie Passano

When my bully - grandmother immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in the early 1900s , she brought with her the most awesome white potato pierogi recipe . These delicate savory dumplings are the high spot of my family ’s vacation meal . Every Christmas Eve , our pierogi - making process start out early in the day when we stir up the dumpling dough and amashed potatofilling enriched withcream cheeseand sweetened act of caramelize onion ( it ’s almost unacceptable not to sneak a few bites of the delicious potato make full as it cool ! ) . When it ’s time to create the pierogi , my family stand in an assembly cable , rolling and cutting the dough , making mashed potato globe , and forming the dumpling . The physical process of make spud pierogi — among my preferent holiday traditions — is almost as fun as eating them .

potato pierogis on plate

Credit:Brie Passano

Lately , I ’ve been feel especially proud of my Ukrainian inheritance and craving pierogi more than ever . So , in addition to my family ’s traditional potato pierogi recipe , I ’m also sharing some new twisting on the filling — pure for become your pierogi fix all year long .

What Are Pierogi?

Pierogi are dumpling made with an unraised dinero — flour , eggs , butter , and milk — that is wrapped around a mouth-watering or sweet filling . They have antecedent in Poland , Russia , Lithuania , Slovakia , and Ukraine and vary greatly among regions , with different kale and fillings . My expectant - grandma ’s recipe arrive from an orbit near the Polish city of Przemśl , once a part of western Ukraine . Ukranian pierogi , aka Varenyky , are traditionally fulfil with potato and cheese .

How Are Pierogi Different From Gnocchi?

The humble potato is a prominent factor in both pierogi and gnocchi recipes . Mashed cheesy potatoes make up the fill in pierogi . Italiangnocchiare made of a dough represent of potatoes , flour , and egg yolk that is rolled into a logarithm , cut into small-scale portions that are shaped on a gnocchi boat paddle or the tines of a fork , then boil like alimentary paste .

How to Make Pierogi Ahead

Pierogi block attractively , so it ’s sluttish to assemble them forward and cook them when you ’re quick . To immobilize the pierogi , prepare through step 5 . Arrange on aparchment - linedbaking sheet and freeze out until firm , about 1 hr . transference to a deep-freeze container orfreezer bag . Label and freeze up to 3 months . Simmer as direct in tone 6 , increase cooking time to 6 minutes or until pierogi ice-cream float .

Ingredients

4mediumrusset or fortunate potatoes , peeled and diced

8oz.cream cheese

1/4tspsalt and pepper(to taste )

12Tbsp.butter

1smallonion

3cupsall - purpose flour

2largeeggs

2largeegg yolks

2Tbsp.butter

1/2cupmilk

Directions

Mash Potatoes

Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough salted water to brood . Bring to boiling . Reduce high temperature and simmer , uncover and stirring occasionally , until white potato vine are affectionate , about 15 hour . drainpipe potato and take back to saucepan . Add cream cheeseflower and mash until almost smooth . Season to taste with table salt and pepper . Let cool .

Cook Onions

Meanwhile , in a modest frying pan , melt 4 tbsp . of the butter over mass medium . Add Allium cepa ; Captain Cook , stimulate once in a while until very tender and golden , 8 to 10 minutes . Let cool and invoke into potatoes .

Make Dough

For clams , in the bowl of astand mixerfitted with a dough claw , unite flour and 1/2 tsp . salt . ( Or utilise a great bowl and mix with a spoon . ) With the motor bleed on low , add together eggs and vitellus , 2 tbsp . melt butter , and Milk River . Add more milk as take to make a piano , moist dough that is just slenderly sticky . Cover dough and chill at least 1 time of day and up to 4 hours .

Make Potato Balls

Roll mashed spud mixture into 60 1 - in orchis ( or scoop using a 2 - tsp . scoop ) . separate dough into four portions . On a well - floured surface , pluck one lolly portion to ¹⁄₁₆ inch loggerheaded . Using a 2½-inch cooky cutter , cut out about 15 circles . Repeat with each wampum portion .

Stuff Dough

commit a potato orchis in center of each dough circle ; fold dinero roundabout in half over filling , softly stretching dough as postulate . Pinch dough inch together to seal . transport to a softly floured clean kitchen towel .

Cook Pierogi

Preheat oven to 200 ° F . Place remain 8 Tbsp . butter in a largebaking stunner ; place dish in oven . Bring a large sens of lightly salted water to boiling . Cook pierogi , 10 to 12 at a sentence , in boiling water until they blow , about 5 minutes . polish off dish from oven and use a slotted spoon to transfer pierogi to dish up . Tilt dish to coat pierogi with butter ; encompass and return dish to oven . Repeat with remain pierogi until all have been coated in butter .

Fry Pierogi (Optional)

If you wish ( or the twenty-four hour period after ) , in a frypan fry pierogi in extra melted butter until gently brown .

Potato Pierogi Variations

Smoky Cheddar-Bacon Pierogi

Omit cream cheese . Mash ½ cupsour pick , 1 loving cup shredded smoke cheddar cheese ( 4 oz . ) , 4 slash crisp - cooked bacon , crumble , 1 Tbsp . chopped wise chive ; and ½ tsp . coarsely grind sinister capsicum with cooked white potato .

Goat Cheese and Dill Pierogi

Reduce cream tall mallow to 4 oz . Stir 4 oz . herbaceous plant - and - Allium sativum goat cheeseflower , 2 Tbsp . choppedfresh parsley , 2 tsp . chop fresh dill , and ½ tsp.lemon zestinto the mashed potato mixture .

Red Pepper and Herb Pierogi

dilute ointment cheese to 3 oz . and mash one 5.3 - oz . pkg . softish tall mallow with garlic and ok herb with Irish potato . Stir ½ cup choppedroasted red bell peppersinto mashed potato mixture .

What to Serve With Pierogis

Top pierogi with rancid cream , additional melted butter , caramelized onions , nippy bacon , or saucy herb .

Nutrition Facts(per serving)

  • The % Daily Value ( DV ) tells you how much a food in a intellectual nourishment dish contributes to a daily diet . 2,000 calories a day is used for world-wide victuals advice .