Pan Fried Potato & Cheese Pierogi

Today is a first - this is the first time I've made a recipe that I've never tried before. I'll be the first person to admit that I've never been offered a pierogi, have never seen it on the menu at any restaurant I frequent, and have never had it mentioned in conversations with friends and family. I've lived in a pierogi black hole my whole life, but something overcame me last week and I decided I wanted to try my hand at making classic pierogi with potato, onion, and cheese. And my, my is it so good!Making potato and cheese pierogi was labor intensive, repetitive, and I will admit I did not enjoy making these as much as I should have.

The day I decided to make these I was also rushing to get out of the house to make it to a friend's birthday get-together so I sped through the process a bit, so my pierogi dumplings came out a little lopsided, the result of a certain carelessness that comes from trying to cram an hour of work into 30 minutes. But I still wanted to share this recipe because it tastes really good, despite the lack of eye-candy. And making a batch of these is perfect for prepping meals throughout the week because the extra pierogi freeze and reheat super well, which is a win in my book.I tried these pierogi both boiled and pan-fried, and I have to say I prefer the crispiness that comes with the pan fried version.

And it gives them a nice golden color too that you can pretty much taste just by looking at it. I topped them with browned butter and crispy sage along with extra caramelized onions, and it's just so good that really isn't any more to say about it. You just need to try it.Despite the timing tribulations I had with this recipe, I would happily make these again. Perhaps next time I'll try it with mascarpone and blueberries, or maybe just cram them full with Nutella and banana!Pan Fried Potato & Cheese Pierogi Tips

• The dough will stretch quite a bit, so don't be too worried about over-stretching when ready to add the filling. You'll want them to be kind of big so you have room to completely fold them over.

• If you plan to freeze the extra pierogi, do so after you boil them. Place on paper towels to drain. Next, place on a single-file on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag.

• To reheat frozen pierogi, pan fry according to instructions below.

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 4 c all-purpose flour

• 1 TSP kosher salt

• 1 c whole milk

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/4 c sour cream

Filling

• 5 large russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

• 1 TSP kosher salt

• 3 TBS butter

• 3 large sweet onions, diced

• 1 1/2 cups large curd cottage cheese

• 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

Browned Butter Sage Sauce (single serving)

• 3 TBS olive oil

• 1 TBS butter

• 5-7 sage leaves

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, blend together the flour and salt on low speed.

2. Whisk together the milk, egg and sour cream. Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour in a steady stream.

3. Continue to blend the flour mixture together until a shaggy dough forms and the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 1 hour.

5. Add the potatoes to a pot and fill with water to just cover the potatoes. Stir in the salt and bring the potatoes to a boil.

6. Turn the heat to low and continue cooking the potatoes until fork tender, approximately 20 minutes.

7. While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions to the pan. Cook until caramelized and golden brown, stirring occasionally, approximately 20 minutes. Set aside 1/4c of caramelized onions for later.

8. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.

9. Add the rest of the onions, cottage cheese and cream cheese to the potatoes. Mash using a potato masher until well blended.

10. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

11. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to approximately 1/4 inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2 3/4-inch cutter. Place on a baking sheet, and cover with plastic wrap.

12. Using your hands, lightly flatten the dough disk to stretch it out a bit.

13. Place approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons potato filling in the center of the dough and fold the top half down to close, gently pressing to squeeze out any air and seal by pinched the seam together. Avoid overfilling.

14. Return to baking sheet and cover.

15. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

16. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add 4 dumplings. Cook, stirring gently to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, until dumplings rise to the surface, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and pat dry. Transfer to a serving platter, and cover with foil to keep warm.

17. Pan Fried Version

    1. Pat pierogi dry with paper towels.

    2. Heat a skillet over medium heat with 3 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS butter until butter is melted. Add 4 pierogi at a time, turning over until crisp on all sides. Remove pierogi from skillet onto a plate.

    3. Turn off heat and add sage leaves, swirling around the skillet until crisp, about 1 minute. Pour on top of pierogi and serve.

Adapted From: The Suburban Soapbox