Polish Pierogi

As part of my dad's birthday, we made a favorite of his, Pierogi. Though my dad's family is Polish, I have never made Pierogi. In fact, I didn't even know if I like it until I made it last night! It was pretty easy to make (once I got the dough right) and was delicious. You can have all types of fillings though cheese and potato is what I used.

The good thing about pierogi is that you boil it in water, so you don't add a lot of oil/grease to recipe. I did throw them in a skillet with some sauted onions and sourkraut just to brown them up and give them a beautiful golden color.

I love this recipe and know that anyone can make it, it is really easy and homeade, which makes it even better!

Dough:
1 c flour
1 egg
1/4 c water (or more I used 1/4c then an additional 1/8c)

Filling:
3 medium potatoes
1/2 c cheddar chz
salt & pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until soft, drain water from pan. Mash potatoes and add cheese and salt & pepper. Set aside to cool.

In a mixing bowl, place the flour and egg. Add 1/4 cup of water and stir all ingredients with a fork. The dough should be the consistency of pizza dough. Add more water (if necessary) until this consistency is attained.

Assemble the pierogies:
On a lightly floured surface, roll out a portion of dough to 1/8th of an inch thickness, making sure that there are no holes.
Cut dough into 3 inch squares and place approximately 1-2 Tablespoons of the filling mixture slightly off center.
Flip half of the dough over filling creating a triangle. Crimp all edges securely.
This is the important part. If you do not crimp the edges securely, they will break apart when boiled.

Gently submerge them into a large pot of boiling water. They will sink to the bottom. Once they rise to the surface of the water, they are done. Takes about 3-5 minutes.

Sauté some chopped or sliced onions in butter. When onions are soft and lightly browned, add the pierogies, stir and serve.

Serve pierogi with sourkraut and onion! Yum!