Jak się nie ma, co się lubi, to się lubi, co się ma. (If you don’t have what you like, you like what you have.)
– Polish proverb.

Hello friends! Welcome to another edition of making-do-with-what-you-have. In my neck of the woods, the yeast and AP flour shortages continue (as do the random fresh produce shortages of things like butternut squash and spinach). How is it for you? I’m seeing all these beautiful pictures of fresh veggies on Instagram and have to confess to being a little jealous. Seems everything I’m making these days is brown (if still delicious).

Potato Pierogi with Caramelized Onion, Carrot, and Cheddar Cheese

Speaking of brown, potatoes, at least, seem to be plentiful but only in a five-pound bag, so once again, the last little guys we had left this week were sprouting lots of eyes and needed to be used pronto. I decided on pierogi and attempted to make them with the pizza flour I had sitting in the fridge that was gifted to me a while ago.

Unlike my pizza al taglio made with pizza flour, let’s just say the pizza flour pierogi were not a success. I’m guessing they were so rubbery because of the higher gluten/protein in pizza flour than you find in AP. But then, on the very same day I made (and was mourning) the rubber pierogi, I opened the front door to find a package on my front porch. My lovely sister had not only sent me a 5-pound bag of AP flour, but also a little baggie of yeast. Hooray! Sisters are the best. Proper pierogi coming right up!

The Steps

Peel and quarter potatoes. Simmer until fork tender, usually about 15 minutes, and then mash. I mashed mine with a bit of Greek yogurt and half-and-half, and a healthy dose of salt and pepper. TIP: Refrigerating the mashed potatoes makes them stiffer and easier to fill the pierogi with.
Make the pierogi dough and let it chill. TIP: Using hot water helps make for a tender dough.
Caramelize onions and carrots.
Add the onions and carrots to the mashed potatoes. Add grated cheddar cheese.
Roll out pierogi dough to less than 1/8-inch thick.
Cut 3-inch rounds.
Add filling to each round, fold over into a crescent shape, and pinch the edges closed.
Add pierogi to salted boiling water and boil for an additional 2 to 3 minutes after they float.
Brown boiled pierogi in a pan with butter.

Caramelizing the onion and carrots really adds wonderful flavor, though you could skip the carrots and just go with the onion if that’s all you have on hand. I like the sharp cheddar with these pierogi but other kinds of grate-able cheese would work just as well, or you could use the traditional Farmer’s cheese.

Chewy or Crispy?

I personally like my pierogi a little on the pillowy side, which crisp up more when browned, but some people like the chewier, denser version. For a chewier pierogi, you could roll the dough out a little thicker, or rest it for less time before rolling it out.

For lighter pierogi, roll the dough really thin, or rest the dough for longer. I’ve also read that you can blend AP flour with lower-protein pastry or cake flour to bring down the gluten development but I’ve not tried that myself.

Reality Bakes

I tried to use the braiding technique to seal some of the pierogi. It takes a bit of practice but it was really fun. I also had leftover filling so I made mashed potato pancakes with it, based on Thomas Danler’s recipe. Truly delicious.

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Potato Onion and Carrot Pierogi

Delicious pillowy little dumplings, stuffed with potato and caramelized onions and carrots.

Prep Time 45

Resting Time 1

Servings 24 pierogi

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
3/4 cup hot water
3 small potatoes, peeled boiled and mashed*
1/2 onion, diced finely
2 small carrots, diced finely
1 1/2 tsp light brown sugar
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp butter

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Create a well in the center and crack the egg in. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and whisk egg and oil together. Start incorporating the flour as you whisk while slowly adding the hot water. The dough should be quite sticky but if it’s too wet, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time. (Sometimes you may need to add up to 1/4 to 1/2 cup more flour, depending on humidity, but add it a little at a time.)
Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface and knead until less tacky and more supple, usually about 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed. When dough is smooth and only a little tacky, stop kneading and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 45 minutes to an hour. After coming out of the fridge, let the dough rest on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling out.
In a large pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
Add the diced carrots to the onions. Sprinkle in the light brown sugar and stir to combine. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden brown and diced carrots are softened, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the onion and carrot mixture and the grated cheddar cheese to the mashed potatoes and mix to combine.* Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut the rested dough in half and cover the portion not being rolled out. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the remaining half into a circle under 1/8-inch thick. Cut out rounds with a 2 1/2” to 3 1/2” biscuit cutter. (I prefer 3”.)
Gently cup a dough round in your palm and spoon a heaping teaspoonful of the filling in the center.
Fold up the round around the filling into a crescent shape, using your pinky to tuck the filling in and down. Pinch all around the open edges several times to form a tight seal, then go over edges one more time with the tines of a fork.
Continue cutting, filling and sealing the pierogi rounds until all your dough is used. A 3” cutter should yield 24 to 26 pierogi. (You may have leftover filling, in which case you can make potato pancakes. See the Notes section.) If planning on freezing the pierogi, here is where you would do that.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop 8 to 10 pierogi in the water. When pierogi start to float, boil them an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until skins are wrinkled looking, then remove them with a slotted spoon and let drain.
Once all the pierogi are boiled, heat a large pan with butter and brown the pierogi, about 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, and about 2 to 3 minutes on the other side.
Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt, if desired.

Notes

*I mashed my potatoes with a little bit of Greek yogurt and half-and-half to make them a little creamier.
*Filling the pierogi is easier with a stiff mixture – if you have time, pop the filling into the fridge for an hour or two, or even better, make the filling a day ahead and refrigerate overnight.
*Mashed potato pancakes – add an egg to the mashed potato mixture and a couple of tablespoons of flour – up 1/4 cup if you have a lot of mixture left. Mix it all up, form into pancakes and brown on both sides in a pre-heated skillet with oil.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Polish

Keyword caramelized onions, carrots, dumplings, pierogi, potato