Pierogi Ruskie

About This Recipe

Pierogi Ruskie — confusingly named, since they're not Russian but Ruthenian, from the historic borderlands of Poland and Ukraine — are the most beloved of all Polish pierogi. Half-moon parcels of tender, slightly springy dough enclose a filling of buttery mashed potato whipped with twaróg (a fresh white farmer's cheese), gently sweet sautéed onion, and a generous twist of black pepper. They are boiled until they float, then often crisped briefly in butter, and served drowned in more melted butter (or sour cream, or both) with even more golden fried onions on top. It is grandmother food, the kind of dish that takes a few hours and feeds a family for two days.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 gall-purpose flour, plus extra
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 largeegg
• 240 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 700 gstarchy potatoes (Russet or Maris Piper)
• 300 gtwaróg or farmer's cheese (substitute ricotta + cottage cheese, drained well)
• 2 largeyellow onions, finely diced
• 120 gunsalted butter
• 1 tspfine salt (for filling)
• 1.5 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• sour cream and extra fried onions to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make dough

   Mound the flour, make a well, add salt, egg, oil, and most of the warm water. Mix and knead 10 minutes until smooth, soft, and elastic — Polish pierogi dough should be tender, not stiff. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Boil potatoes

   Peel and chunk potatoes. Boil in salted water until very tender, 18 minutes. Drain well and let dry in the empty pot over very low heat for 1 minute (this evaporates excess water).

3. 3

   Cook the onion

   Melt 40 g butter in a wide skillet. Add one onion (reserve the second for serving). Cook over medium-low for 15 minutes until soft, golden, and sweet — do not rush this.

4. 4

   Make filling

   Pass the potatoes through a ricer or mash very smoothly. Mix with twaróg, sautéed onion, salt, and pepper. Taste; the filling should be assertively seasoned — pierogi dough absorbs flavor. Cool fully before filling.

5. 5

   Roll and fill

   Cut dough into quarters. Roll one piece to 2 mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out 8 cm rounds. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of each round.

6. 6

   Seal

   Fold each round into a half moon, sealing tightly without trapping air. Press the edges with your fingers — pinch into a small rope along the seam if you want the traditional decorative crimp. Place on a floured tray.

7. 7

   Cook the second onion

   Melt another 40 g butter. Sauté the second diced onion until deep golden brown for serving.

8. 8

   Boil pierogi

   Bring a wide pot of salted water to a gentle, steady boil (a rolling boil tears them). Drop in pierogi in batches of 12. They will sink, then float. From the moment they float, cook 3 more minutes.

9. 9

   Optional crisp

   Lift cooked pierogi onto plates. For the crisp finish, transfer drained pierogi to a hot skillet with the remaining 40 g butter and brown for 90 seconds per side.

10. 10

    Serve

    Pile pierogi onto warmed plates. Top with golden fried onions and pan butter. Serve with sour cream on the side, or a dollop directly on top.

Variations

• •

  Pierogi z mięsem: leftover braised beef and onion filling.

• •

  Pierogi z grzybami i kapustą: sauerkraut and mushroom (Christmas Eve classic).

• •

  Pierogi z owocami: blueberries or strawberries (summer dessert pierogi served with sour cream and sugar).

Storage

Freeze raw in single layers up to 3 months — bag once solid. Cook from frozen. Cooked leftovers: pan-fry in butter the next day, never microwave.

Frequently Asked Questions