These pierogies are made from scratch with a simple dough, and filled with freshly mashed potatoes. They are a delicious treat to make, and especially fun to make with friends and family.
Ingredients
For the pierogies:
15ozall purpose flour, by weight(3 cups, if measuring)
1tbspbaking powder
1/4tspsalt
3largeeggslightly whisked together
1cupsour cream
extra flour for rolling
extra saltfor the pot of water
For the mashed potatoes*:
3lbsrusset potatoes(I had 4)
1cupsour cream
4tbspsoftened butter
3clovesgarlicpressed
2scallionschopped (about 1/3 cup)
1.5tspkosher salt
1/4tspblack pepper
For pan frying:
2tbspbutter
2scallionssliced
1tbspfresh parsleychopped
Instructions
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center, then add the eggs and sour cream. Mix with a spatula until it forms a shaggy dough. Then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for a minute or two, until relatively cohesive, with no visible unmixed areas. Be conscious of not overworking the dough. It's going to look shaggy, and that's okay for now. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to a day in advance.
Make the mashed potatoes: Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and place in a microwave-safe dish. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip the potatoes over and cook for another 5 minutes. Check to see if it's fork tender and soft in the middle, and if not, keep cooking in 2 minutes intervals until the potatoes are tender.
Peel the skin from the potatoes (or cut each potato in half and scoop the flesh out from the insides), and lightly mash with a fork or masher. It's up to you how smooth you want the texture to be. I don't mind a few chunks here or there, whereas if you want it to be super smooth, you'll want to use a food mill.
Mix in the remaining mashed potato ingredients: the sour cream, butter, garlic, scallions, salt, and pepper.
Make the pierogies: Lightly flour the countertop and turn the chilled dough out. Roll it to 1/8" thickness, making sure it is well-floured along the way. Use a 3" biscuit cutter to cut circles of dough, then fill each one with about 2 teaspoons of the mashed potato filling, crimping well with your fingers to close each one (see blog post for visuals). Place sealed pierogies on a tray as you work.
Bring a big pot of water to a boil, and season with salt like you would a pasta water. I usually do about 2 tbsp.
Boil the pierogies for 3 minutes, at which point they should be floating on the surface of the water. Drain the pierogies in a colander. Do not leave them in the colander for more than a few minutes, or they will stick to each other.
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the butter, scallions, and parsley. Add just enough pierogies to the pan for a single layer, and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Serve promptly and enjoy!
Notes
*I intentionally make more mashed potatoes than needed here and save them to serve with another meal, since you're doing the work anyway. If you do not want to have leftovers, use the following amounts:
1lb russet potato
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tbsp chopped scallion
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
You may also use leftover mashed potatoes for your filling and flavor them as you see fit.
Freezing: Place uncooked pierogies on a tray in the freezer for 30 minutes uncovered, then you can transfer them to a plastic bag and keep for up to 2 months. Freezing on the tray ensures they won't stick to each other in the bag.
Cooking from frozen: Frozen pierogies can go straight from the freezer into the boiling water whenever you want to proceed with the recipe. There's no need to thaw. Boil for 4 minutes (1 minute longer than room temperature), at which point they should be floating on the surface.
Storing leftovers: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Because these freeze so well, I recommend only making as many as you plan to eat, since they definitely taste best fresh.