#Recipe: Potato and Cheese Pierogies
One of the things I wish I had done while my Dad was still alive was making him some Polish food. I am by no means a pro at this but it is something I wanted to learn to make. I have made these a handful of times and they were always a huge hit with everyone who has tried them. While my boys and I were back home for Christmas, my mom talked me into making them for her. They are really not as difficult as you might think. Just time consuming. I wanted to get a nice picture of them finished by the hounds moved in and I didn’t get a chance 
Most people serve their pierogies with sour cream but I also like mind with a nice spicy brown mustard.
Dough:
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 c. (or slightly more) sifted flour
Filling:
- 4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 to 1 cup grated dry farmer’s cheese (Feel free to use your favorite FINELY shredded/grated cheese!)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Freshly chopped Chives (optional)
In a large bowl, combine the flour, egg, milk and water. Beat the eggs as you mix and gradually add the rest of the water until the mixture is combined.
Place your dough on a well floured surface. Knead it gentlt only until the ingredients are blended and the dough is smooth and slightly sticky, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to over work your dough.
Form a ball with your dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
For the filling:
Put the potatoes in a medium pot and add just enough cold, salted water to cover them. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender. You don’t want them mushy or water logged.
When the potatoes are soft, drain them and return them to the pot. Make sure you get out as much water as you can. Add your cheese, butter,chives, salt and pepper. Mash them just until blended and large lumps are gone. Season again with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool while you roll out your dough.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. On a well floured surface, roll out your dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/8 inch thick. I used a 3 inch metal cookie cutter to cut each pierogie out. Make sure you you keep them covered with a damp towel as you work so they don’t dry out.
Once you have all of your rounds, go back and lightly roll over each one. I found that this makes them a little easier to pinch closed and gets out and thick spots you might have missed.
Fill the center of each one with a teaspoon of the potato mixture. Join the edges and pinch them firmly to seal them. Press around the edges with a fork. I had a few stubborn ones that didn’t want to stay closed but most of them closed jsut fine without wetting the edges. Make sure you have a tight seal or you will have a mess when you cook them.
You can cook these as you work or wrap them and cook them the next day. Drop no more than 6 in the pot at a time. When your pierogies float to the top, let them cook an additional 2-4 minutes. At this point you can store them for frying later or move them right into a saute’ pan and cook until they are golden brown on each side.
I love Pierogies, but I always buy the frozen ones at the grocery. It would be great to have time one day to make these homemade ones, they look fantastic! I wonder how it would be to put some chopped vegetables in them also, like maybe some chopped spinach.