Pierogi with Potato and Cheese Filling

About This Recipe

Pierogi are the soul of Polish cuisine — half-moon dumplings made from an unleavened dough, filled with a staggering variety of savoury and sweet fillings. The potato and twaróg (farmer's cheese) filling is the most iconic, beloved across all of Poland and among the Polish diaspora worldwide. Making pierogi is traditionally a communal activity — families and friends gather to form an assembly line of rolling, filling and crimping, then freeze large batches for weeks ahead. The twice-cooked method — first boiling, then finishing in a butter pan until the dough turns golden — is the definitive way to serve them.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 350 gplain flour(plus extra for dusting)
• 1large egg
• 120 mlwarm water
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspsour cream(for the dough)
• 500 gfloury potatoes(peeled and boiled)
• 200 gfarmer's cheese or dry cottage cheese
• 1medium onion(very finely diced and sautéed until golden)
• to tastesalt and white pepper
• 60 gbutter(for frying)
• 2large onions(sliced, for caramelising to serve)
• 4 tbspsour cream(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well and add the egg, warm water and sour cream. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then turn out and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should not stick to your hands. Wrap in cling film and rest for 30 minutes.

   The sour cream in the dough is the Polish baker's secret — it adds fat that makes the dough tender and slightly elastic, producing a supple wrapper that does not tear easily when boiled.

2. 2

   Make the filling

   Rice or mash the boiled potatoes until completely smooth — no lumps. Beat in the farmer's cheese, sautéed onion, salt and white pepper until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning generously. The filling should be quite strongly seasoned as the dough will mute it slightly.

3. 3

   Roll and cut the dough

   Working in batches to keep the dough from drying out, roll to 2–3 mm thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut circles approximately 8 cm in diameter using a round cutter or glass.

   Cover cut circles with a damp cloth while you continue cutting — exposed dough dries quickly and will crack when folded.

4. 4

   Fill and seal

   Place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle. Moisten the edge with water, fold over and press firmly to seal. Crimp the edge with a fork or pinch in a traditional rope pattern. Press firmly — any gap will open during boiling.

5. 5

   Boil

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook pierogi in batches of 8–10. They are ready approximately 2–3 minutes after they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon.

6. 6

   Pan-fry in butter

   Heat butter in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the boiled pierogi in a single layer and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until golden and slightly crisp. Simultaneously caramelise the sliced onions in another pan with a knob of butter until deeply golden.

7. 7

   Serve

   Plate the pierogi topped with caramelised onions and a generous spoonful of sour cream. Serve immediately — they are best eaten hot.

Variations

• •

  Pierogi ruskie (Russian style): The most traditional filling — potato, farmer's cheese and fried onion. What this recipe describes.

• •

  Sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi: Replace the potato filling with cooked sauerkraut and dried porcini mushrooms — the traditional Christmas Eve filling in Poland.

• •

  Sweet pierogi: Fill with sweetened farmer's cheese, blueberries or strawberries. Serve with melted butter and a dusting of sugar — a beloved dessert version.

Storage

Boiled but un-fried pierogi keep refrigerated for 2 days. Freeze uncooked or boiled pierogi for up to 3 months. Do not refrigerate raw, unfilled dough for more than a day — it discolours.

Frequently Asked Questions