Parmesan Pierogis

2 hours 0 mins Prep Time

10 mins Cook Time

Written By

Maddy Goldberg

Making a dough, a filling and then putting it all together may feel like a challenge, but unlike so many scratch-made items that go bad quickly, such as bread, these pierogis will go so much farther than just one meal. Pierogis are one of those scratch-made food items that are truly rewarding -- set aside an afternoon to make them, and you will end up with about 40 pierogis in your freezer, enough for at least four dinners. There is no better feeling than thinking you are opening your freezer to frozen pizza for dinner to remember that you still have one batch of pierogis left from a while back. There are so many authentic recipes for pierogis that I have accumulated all my favourite aspects of each recipe to make my classic recipe for you here.

If you give this recipe a shot, make sure to post up your creation on Instagram and tag @tastetoronto and @maddygoldberg!

Ingredients

Filling

4-5 large potatoes, russet or Yukon
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup parmesan (can substitute sharp cheddar)
Salt
1 egg (for egg wash)

Dough

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 yolk
1/2 cup potato water (or more if needed)

Directions

Filling

1 Steps

Step 1

Peel potatoes and dice into small even pieces. In a large pot of cold salted water, bring potatoes to a boil and cook until very tender, about 10-20 minutes depending on the size. Strain the potatoes and reserve about 3/4 cup of water for the dough. Transfer into a bowl and stir in the cheese and butter. Season with salt generously. Set aside in fridge to cool.

Dough

1 Steps

Step 1

In a food processor, add flour, salt and yolk. Pulse while slowly adding the potato water until the dough comes together. Knead on a floured surface into a ball. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To Form

4 Steps

Step 1

Split dough into quarters. Work with one quarter at a time, while the others remain wrapped in plastic. Using a pasta machine, roll the quarter of dough out to about the thickness of pasta sheets (I stop at #5 on my machine). Make sure your surface is well floured to prevent sticking. Using a round cookie cutter or the top of a glass, cut rounds out of your dough and stack them in a container with a lid. Repeat with all quarters until you have no dough left.
Step 2

It is much faster to cut all your dough rounds before you start to fill them, I like to keep them in a sealed container so they don’t dry out while I cut.
Step 3

Before you begin to fill the pierogis you should have: all the dough rounds cut, the cold filling with a spoon, a parchment lined baking sheet and a bowl with 1 egg and a brush. Make the egg wash by beating the egg and 1 tablespoon of water with the brush.
Step 4

To fill, place one dough round in your hand. Lightly egg wash half of the dough. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of filling onto the dough and lift the non-egg washed half over the filling to reach the side that has egg wash. Seal with your thumb and place on parchment lined baking tray. Try to keep hands dry throughout this process to prevent sticking. Don’t dip your finger in the egg wash!

To Cook

1 Steps

Step 1

Boil pierogis from frozen for 5-7 minutes in salted water. Optional: strain and sear in a very hot pan with vegetable oil until golden brown. Add pierogis to hot pan with oil then let cook for 2-3 minutes before trying to move them. They will stick instantly so if you let them cook they will release as they become golden brown.

Ingredients

Filling