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Traditional Polish Pierogi

Olgierd
Authentic Polish pierogi recipe from a local chef in Kraków, Poland. Pierogi first showed up in Poland in the 13th century. Believed to have been brought over from eastern neighbors (today's Ukraine), pierogi have been a staple in Polish cuisine ever since.
Pierogi are a type of dumpling consisting of dough wrapped around a savory or sweet filling. This recipe is for classic Polish pierogi, which consists of potato and cheese filling topped with caramelized onions and sour cream. Dessert pierogies are very common in Poland and usually consist of a fruit and sugar filling.
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Polish
Servings 50 pierogi

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 large Egg
  • 3 cups All-purpose flour + more for kneading
  • 1 cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp Salt

Filling

  • 1 1/2 lb Russet potatoes
  • 2 1/4 cups Coarsely grated extra-sharp white cheese (6 oz)
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper

Topping

  • 1 medium Yellow onion Halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
  • Sour Cream for garnish

Instructions
 

Make Dough

  • Pour flour into large bowl and form a well in the center.
  • Add water, egg, oil and salt into well and beat together with a fork (without mixing together with flour).
  • Continue stirring while gradually adding flour until soft dough forms.
  • Transfer dough to lightly floured surface and begin to knead until smooth and elastic. This should take around 8 minutes and continue to add flour to keep the dough from sticking.
  • Place soft dough in a bowl and let sit 1 hour at room temperature.

Mix Filling

  • Peel potatoes and cut into 1-in pieces.
  • Cook in large saucepan of salted water until tender, usually about 8 minutes.
  • Drain. Then transfer to bowl and add cheese, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Let cool.

Cook Onion Topping

  • Add onion and butter to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat. Stir occasionally until the onions are golden brown.
  • Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Stuff Pierogi

  • Halve dough, keeping the other half in bowl, and roll out on lightly floured surface (be sure not to over-flour or dough will not stretch) with a lightly floured rolling pin.
  • Cut out rounds with a lightly floured cutter, a cup will work fine.
  • Holding round in one hand, add small amount of mashed potato filling to the center and close dough around the filling.
  • Brush edges with water and pinch together to seal or seal with a fork. Make sure you’re not leaving any gaps or the filling could come out while cooking.

Cook Pierogi

  • Bring a 6-8 quart pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
  • Add half of pierogi, stirring a couple times to make sure they aren’t sticking together.
  • After the pierogi float to the surface, cook 5 minutes longer.

Serve

  • Coat cooked pierogi in caramelized onion topping and serve with sour cream!
Keyword Dumpling, Pierogi, Polish