I enjoy them best with potato and cheese, however you can also fill them with potato and saurkraut or potato and spinich and cheese as well as many other combinations.
Serve them boiled with butter, or pan fried with onions or deep fried like they do at the fairs.
Try them topped with salsa or even pasta sauce. Your imagination is your only limit to how you can fix em up!
My fav way to eat them is pan fried with onions or scallions and lots of butter! Or deep fried then brushed with a bit of butter
Nana always made my tastebuds happy :)
2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 egg
3/4 cup warm water
2 t oil
1/2 t salt
POTATO AND CHEESE FILLING
1 1/2 to 2 lbs baking potatoes (i like mine plump so i use more)
2-3 t butter
1 small vidalia onion, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, minced
grated cheddar cheese (amount depends on how cheesy you like yours..so between 4 to 8 oz)
salt pepper and garlic powder
Mix the flour and salt in a deep mixing bowl.
Add egg, oil and water to make a medium soft dough.
Knead dough on a floured surface until the dough is smooth.
Do NOT over knead dough or it will become tough!
Divide your dough into two parts and cover them. Allow to set covered for at least 15 minutes.
Prepare Filling:
Boil potatoes until they are soft. Drain and return to pot.
Melt butter and oil on medium heat, add onion and garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Just till onions are softened. Lower your heat and cook until onions are lightly browned or carmelized. Season with salt and pepper. ( You can add more butter while cooking to avoid the onions burning)
Add onions once they are cooled to potatos. Then add cheese. Mash until all large potato lumps are gone and cheese and onions are blended into potatoes. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Set aside.
Prepare pierogies:
Roll the dough out thin on a floured surface. Cut circles using a large biscuit cutter, or the mouth of a large glass. Place a spoonful of potatoe and cheese filling in each circle and fold over to make a half circle. Make sure no filling is near the edges. Press the edges together with your fingers to seal each pierogi. Making sure they are sealed well so filling doesnt come out while cooking. Put filled pierogi on a floured surface and cover with a tea towel to keep them from drying up.
( you can seal them with a little water & press down on edges with a fork to help keep them from coming apart while cooking)
Cooking Pierogies:
COOKING: Drop a few pierogies (about 6)into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. (I add oil to the water to help prevent them from sticking together)
Do not cook too many at a time or they will not cook correctly.
Stir VERY gently with a wooden spoon to separate pierogies and to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pot or each other.
Boil for 3-4 minutes or until they are puffed up.
Remove pierogies from water with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer to a colander to drain completely.
Transfer to a deep dish, and generously add melted butter to prevent them from sticking.
Serve with melted butter and fried onions
To reheat: Pan fry in butter until browned and serve with onions or scallions, or deep fry and brush with butter before serving (I love them this way)
Freezing:If you choose not to cook all the pierogies at this time, you can refrigerate uncooked pierogies for several days or freeze them for several months.
