Brisket
Joan Nathan
429 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
429
12 ¼ hours
Pierogi Ruskie (Potato and Cheese Pierogi)
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:24 to 30 pierogi
- 2cups/255 grams all-purpose flour (preferably unbleached), plus more as needed
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1large egg, beaten
- ½pound waxy or all-purpose potatoes
- Salt and pepper
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3medium yellow onions (about 8 ounces each), finely chopped
- ½cup quark cheese, cottage cheese or sour cream (about 4 ounces)
- Butter, for pan-frying (optional)
- Sour cream, for garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley or dill, for garnish
For the Dough
For the Filling
For Serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (27 servings)
98 calories; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 3 grams protein; 125 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Prepare the dough: Add the flour and salt to a large bowl; whisk to combine. In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup water and the butter over medium-high until butter is melted, about 3 minutes. Pour the buttery liquid into the flour gradually, stirring it in as you add it. (The dough will be quite crumbly and flaky at this point, like a biscuit dough.) Stir in the egg until combined then move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 5 to 7 minutes. Cover the dough with a dampened towel or plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Step 2
Prepare the filling: Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add them to a large pot, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high and continue to cook at a simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.
- Step 3
While the potatoes cook, prepare the onions: In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high. Add the onions, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown and softened, about 12 minutes. Set aside about 1 cup of onions for garnish and add the rest to a medium bowl.
- Step 4
Transfer the cooked potatoes to a colander to drain, then transfer to the medium bowl with the onions. Add the cheese, stir to combine, season generously with salt and pepper, then let cool.
- Step 5
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high.
- Step 6
Prepare the wrappers: Cut the dough into two even pieces. (You’ll want to leave one piece under the towel to stay moist while you work with the other piece.) You’ll also want a small bowl of flour, a small bowl of water and a towel handy for keeping your hands clean. Dust some flour onto a baking sheet (for holding the pierogi) and your work surface, then roll out one portion of dough until ⅛-inch thick. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter or inverted glass, punch 12 to 15 disks of dough. (Save and refrigerate the scraps to boil as a rustic pasta, in soup or another use.)
- Step 7
Assemble the pierogi: Working with one disk at time, spoon a scant tablespoon of filling onto the middle of it. Fold the dough in half to enclose the filling, bringing the edges together to form a crescent shape. Pinch the two sides together at the top, then work your way down on both sides, pinching the dough over the filling and pushing in the filling as needed, making sure the potato mixture does not break the seal. If needed, you can dip your fingertip into water and moisten the dough in spots as needed to help the two sides adhere together.
- Step 8
To form a rustic pattern on the curved seal, pinch the rounded rim underneath using your pointer finger and middle finger and press an indentation on top with your thumb, working your way along the rounded rim. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. (If you’ve gotten some filling on your fingers, dip your fingertips into the bowl of water then dry them off on the towel.)
- Step 9
Repeat with remaining disks, then repeat the entire process with the remaining portion of dough. You’ll want to work fairly quickly, as the pierogi can be harder to seal if they start to dry out. (If cooking the pierogi at a later point, transfer them on the baking sheet to the freezer until frozen solid, then transfer the pierogi to a resealable bag and freeze.)
- Step 10
To cook the pierogi, add a single layer of pierogi to the pot of boiling water. Let them cook until they rise to the surface, about 2 minutes, then cook another 2 to 3 minutes until puffy. (With frozen dumplings, you will need to increase the cooking time by a couple of minutes.) Use a slotted spoon to transfer cooked dumplings to a colander to drain, then boil remaining dumplings.
- Step 11
If you want to pan-fry your pierogi, working in batches, melt 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high until crackling. Add a few boiled pierogi in a single layer to avoid overcrowding, and cook until crisp and golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining pierogi, adding butter as needed.
- Step 12
Serve hot. Top with any browned butter from the pan, warmed reserved onions, sour cream and herbs.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Walt Nadolny
I have been making them for years usually on Christmas eve. Both daughters, now grown, have made it into a festive assembly line. One tip use Farmers Cheese, It is widely available and imparts a lovely salty, slightly sour note. We usually make 6-8 dozen and they never seem to make it to the freezer.
Evelina
Coming from a Polish family here...you want to use farmers cheese for the filling, not cottage or sour cream!! Also, my family’s secret: add in some crumbled feta cheese. It adds the most incredible flavor, I promise! You will need at least two people to help move the assembly of this recipe along, if not it will take 2-3 hours
Helena
I (first gen American) learned to make pierogi from my mom. Being in Chicago, we have no problems getting ingredients so we use the "Typ 390" Polish flour (low protein, can use Italian 00 as a close sub.) Our recipe is: 1 kg flour, 1 lg egg (beaten), good pinch of salt, 2 heaping tbsp of sour cream, as much ice water as needed to form a smooth springy dough. It produces the most tender pierogi dough imaginable.
GT
Another good filling is kapustka (sauerkraut) warmed with a little salt pork or bacon. My busia (grandmother) always, always pan-fried her pierogi. This dough is perfect. Just be sure to adjust the amount of water if you’re making the pierogi on a rainy day. Thank you for running this recipe.
nyrkr
Oh my god were these spectacular. What a great recipe to pop up just when I had leftover mashed potatoes! Other than that, I followed the recipe, using a mix of cottage cheese and sour cream in the filling. They turned out beautifully. The buttery onions, sour cream and chives as a garnish were SO delicious. I could eat these every day. But I won't because I HAVE SELF CONTROL...I HAVE SELF CONTROL...I HAVE SELF CONTROL...
Nellie Armstrong
My grandmother always used the water from cooking the potatoes to make the dough. Just saying.
Agata
Farmers' cheese is by far the best substitute for the cheese used for ruskie pierogi in Poland. Skip the egg in the dough, don't bother cubing potatoes, but instead cut them into a few pieces and once cooked put through the mincer with farmers' cheese. Roll the dough as thin as your dumpling-making skills allow - your acclaim as a pierogi maker is judged by the fineness of the wrapper - thick-doughed pierogi really don't taste right. Otherwise, I can attest this is an authentic recipe!
Sue
I make and freeze pierogi in large batches for quick dinners when I don't have much time to cook. I always cook them straight from the freezer, in a covered skillet. I brown them on both sides in a very small amount of oil, then add a bit of water to the pan and let them steam. They come out magnificently, and no need to wait for water to boil or dirty an extra pot.
Dan
I cheat a bit by cutting the dough into squares and folding into triangles-no scraps of dough. I also finish the crimp with the tines of a fork, flipping over to crimp both sides. I find the pierogi soak up less oil when frying if I let them sit for about 10-15 mins after boiling. Will 1" potato cubes really take 25 mins to cook? No wonder the directions don't explicitly say to mash them. Yes, farmers cheese is classic, but I have even used shredded cheddar. I like to dip them in Dijon mustard.
Julie
Delicious! This was my first time making pierogies and they came out great. I would triple the batch to freeze some, as it's a lot of work for such a small amount of pierogies. These took me about 3 hours to make on my own.
magda
Majority of polish recipes do not call for any fat to be added to the dough - just flour, salt, hot (almost boiling) water and egg. You can use 1-2 tablespoons of neutral oil, but it is not necessary. I find the dough more elastic when fat is skipped.
Corin
You boil, then fry.
Edyta
Side note - farmers cheese is the beat for it. I do not recommend using Cream cheese or sour cream
Jean
In step 4, you did not mention that the potatoes should be mashed. Use a ricer if you have one, it gives you a more even texture. If you use cottage cheese, it should be drained and pressed through a sieve. I am of Polish descent, and have never had a Christmas Eve without pierogi!
Deborah
I highly recommend the use of a pasta machine, if you have one, to roll out the dough. I prefer thin wrappers, and the machine really helps.
KL
I use my stand mixer to knead the dough and mash the potato mixture. The mixer kneaded the dough on low for 2-3 minutes with a dough hook. I let it rest overnight in the fridge; the dough was beautifully pliable. I rolled it out thinly by hand and I had no tears. I mashed the potatoes, 6oz feta cheese, 6oz goat cheese, caramelized onions, and salt and pepper in the mixer with the paddle attachment until evenly combined. Don't overmix or the potatoes will become gummy.
Kyra
Made this for Easter dinner and they were fantastic! I mashed the potatoes and added some cheddar in addition to quark, basically did it to taste. The dough needs quite a bit of extra flour when you're kneading/rolling. Re-rolled the dough so ended up having only a little bit leftover. As others have pointed out, this is definitely more like a 3 hour recipe with help. But they were so delicious that the next time we make them we're going to double the batch and freeze half. Made ~25
heidi
Anyone try this with GF flour?
kate paygert
Many have noted it below, but the cheese is key here - it has to be dry (or pressed) to not make the filling soggy. Also, I have been adding a splash of pickle juice to add some tang. And finally, for the love of god, put the onions into the filling! If that's not enough put more on top, for bursts of sweetness, but they are necessary inside too. Do not skimp on salt and pepper, cheese and potatoes are mild, and they need to be brought to life with spice and sweat and sour...
UpstateNYObserver
Making pierogies is made much easier if you've got a pasta roller available. The dough rolled out can be cut, then the remaining dough re-rolled over and over until you've made as many as you can.
Helen
I grew up eating pierogi, and this is a good recipe. You can make the filling ahead of time and refrigerate. I boil then pan-fry, but can't resist eating one (or two) just boiled. I also make some with a sauerkraut filling.
Anastasia Raba
Is it really just a 1/2 lb of potatoes? That’s like one potato… confused! Help!
MB
My mother-in-law (RIP), a first-generation Ukrainian American in Scranton PA made at least 12 dozen of these to distribute in tin pie plates to friends and family at Christmas time. She used cream cheese (not butter)in the dough; proportions of potato/onion/cheese in the filling is honestly “to taste”. For vegan/dairy sensitives in our family what worked well: in dough replace egg/butter with SoDelicious Coconut Milk yogurt (1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp); Tofutti vegan cream cheese in the filling
Victor
What exactly is "heavily salted water"?
Jane
In eastern PA deep fried pierogies are bar food. No county fair there is without a deep fried pierogi stand, run by ladies of a local church. Once a year the Ukrainian Church ladies sold them by the dozen. We always came home with at least four bags. Filling was always potato and “sharp” cheese. I’ve yet to learn what that is. I made this recipe for the first time this week. It’s excellent! Tastes like home. Fried onions in butter, browned pierogi, and added about 1/2 c water to steam. Yum!
Steve Wilson
My wife grew up near Pittsburgh and in that community pirogies were a staple and much loved. I saw this recipe and decided to give it a try for her to enjoy. Pulled it off first time so it is not that hard to do. Will still try something a little different next time. Could not find the cheese recommended so substituted mascarpone. I think a little stronger substitution would be in order. Even thinking about a little jalapeño. After the boil a browning trip in butter and garlic is in order.
Anneliese
Question: 1/2 lb of potatoes? Using my kitchen scale, that is exactly one potato (actually a little less than one potato). Mixed with two cups of sautéed onions seems off. Any help is appreciated.
Richard X
Follow the recipe. After caramelizing the onions, you'll have an amount that will comport with the quantity of potato. Seems off? you ask. No, it doesn't. Again, follow the recipe. Read the other notes if you need reassurance.
Alvin S.
My first time making pierogis and the recipe was wonderful! Easy to follow, easy to execute as long as you have some basic cooking experience (eg: working with dough). I added some extra flour to make it the right texture, maybe another quarter cup, but everyone's flour and environmental conditions are different. Just one note, because I was nervous, take it out soon after they start floating. I thought they looked raw still, but when I tried one it was perfect. Chewy and firm, but still soft.
Jenny
Halve the potato mix or double the dough. I have a lot of potato mix left over.
Jeanne
Pierogi making is an annual event for a dozen plus relatives. We use Kitchen-aid lasagna roller for the dough. 500g flour, 1 cup water plus 2-3 T more, 3 T butter or oil and 1 t salt. Let dough rest 30 minutes but we usually make it the night before and wrap each ball in saran wrap and chill. Bring to room temp for use. We have tried different dough recipes over the years - with eggs, sour cream etc - this is the best. We make 70-100 dozen and using the roller makes it so much easier.
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