These Polish potato, cheese and onion pierogi are easy to make and they’re utterly delicious when served fried with plenty of bacon, onions and soured cream.
I love Polish pierogi. When I lived in Canada, I used to be able to buy packages of ready-made ones in the freezer section of the supermarket, but alas, now that I live in rural Scotland, there is a decided lack of premade pierogi, so every now and then, I make my own.
I always cook them with bacon and onion sauteed in a ridiculous amount of butter and serve with lashings of soured cream on the side. It’s such a comfort food!
What are pierogi?
Pierogi are little filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a filling. They’re popular in Central, Eastern and Southeastern European cuisines, especially Poland.
Ingredients for homemade pierogi
for the dough
- 2 cups plain flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large free-range egg
- 1/2 cup soured cream
- 1/4 cup butter
for the filling
- 5 medium potatoes
- 1 onion
- 20 g butter
- 75 g mature cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
How to make pierogi from scratch
- The simplest way to prepare the pierogi dough is to mix the flour, salt, egg, soured cream and softened butter together in a food processor with a dough blade. Pulse until it starts to form clumps, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until they are tender. Mash and allow to cool. Finely chop the onion and saute in butter. Cool. Mix together the potatoes, onions, cheddar cheese and parsley and season well o taste.
- Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8″ thick. Cut circles of dough (2″ for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2″ for large pierogi; I like mine large) with a cookie cutter. Place a small ball of filling around a tablespoon on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. The dough is quite elastic, so you can stretch it around. With a little bit of practice, this becomes very easy. Moisten the edges with water and seal. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.
- Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on a wire rack.
Can you freeze pierogi?
Yes! Freeze the pierogi in a single layer on a baking tray; transfer them to a freezer bag or container when they’re frozen solid. Cook them in boiling water directly from frozen until they float, drain, and fry!
Recipe Difficulty Levels
Easy
Requires basic cooking skills and ingredients you most likely already have in your kitchen.
Moderate
Requires more experience, preparation and/or cooking time. You may have to source special ingredients.
Challenging
Recipes requiring more advanced skills and experience and maybe some special equipment.
Potato, Cheese & Onion Pierogi
Ingredients
for the dough
- 2 cups plain flour plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large free-range egg
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup butter softened and cut into small pieces
for the filling
- 5 medium potatoes
- 1 onion
- 20 g butter
- 75 g mature cheddar cheese or more, to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley chopped finely, or 1 tsp dried
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
to serve
- 6 rashers smoked back bacon cut into strips
- 2 large onions cut in half and sliced
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup soured cream
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Instructions
- The simplest way to prepare the pierogi dough is to mix 2 cups plain flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 large free-range egg, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup butter together in a food processor with a dough blade. Pulse until it starts to form clumps, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight.
- Meanwhile, boil 5 medium potatoes until they are tender. Mash and allow to cool. Chop 1 onion finely and saute in 20 g butter. Cool. Mix together the potatoes, onions, 75 g mature cheddar cheese, 1 tbsp fresh parsley and season to taste with sea salt & freshly ground black pepper.
- Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8″ thick. Cut circles of dough (2″ for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2″ for large pierogies, I like mine large) with a cookie cutter. Place a small ball of filling, around a tablespoon, on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. The dough is quite elastic so you can stretch it around. A little bit of practise and this becomes very easy. Moisten the edges with water and seal. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.
- Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain on a wire rack.
- Saute 2 large onions, sliced, and 6 rashers smoked back bacon in 1/4 cup butterin a large pan until onions are soft and the bacon is cooked. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Pan fry the pierogies in more butter until lightly crispy.
- Serve with 1 cup soured cream on the side.
Dad’s Sesame-Crusted Trout
These things are so much nicer homemade.
I’ve always wanted to try making pierogies and yours look and sound fantastic! Really professional looking and completely delicious!
I love the step by step photos for making these because I’ve never tried but I LOVE pierogies! They’re one of my favorite foods and I’ve always been a little intimidated of trying to make them. This recipe sound delicious and I’m so glad you decided to share!
a ridiculous amount of butter sounds good! A blessed Christmas to you and your family! Patsy from
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