Potato pierogi, a vegetarian recipe from Poland

Name: Potato pierogi
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Poland
Ingredients: 400 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting; 200 ml hot water; 2 tbsp sunflower oil; ½ tsp salt; 600 g floury potatoes, peeled; 3 large onions, sliced; 4 tbsp oil or plant-based margarine; ½ tsp dried marjoram; Salt and black pepper; Plant-based cream or chives, to serve

Method

Mix the flour and salt, pour in the hot water and oil, then knead for 8 minutes to a smooth, supple dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes, drain and mash to a dry purée.
Cook the onions in the fat over low heat for 20 minutes until golden. Stir a third of them into the mash with the marjoram and season generously. Keep the rest for serving.
Roll the dough thinly (2 mm) and cut out 7 cm circles with a glass.
Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre of each circle, fold into a half-moon and pinch the edges firmly to seal.
Cook the pierogi in batches in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes after they float to the surface.
Drain and serve straight away, topped with the remaining onions and their oil, with plant-based cream or chives.

For extra crunch, fry the boiled pierogi in a pan for 2 minutes on each side. They freeze very well uncooked, laid flat on a floured tray.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the dough made with hot water?

Hot water relaxes the dough and limits gluten elasticity, so it can be rolled very thin without springing back. Cold-water dough fights the rolling pin and gives thick, firm dumplings.

My pierogi burst while boiling, what went wrong?

Usually a little filling touched the edge, so the dough could not seal. Keep a clean margin, pinch firmly along the whole seam, and do not overfill: a heaped teaspoon is plenty. Boil them in small batches too, without crowding the pot.

Can I make them ahead and freeze them?

Yes, raw, spread out on a floured tray until firm and then bagged up. They go straight from the freezer into boiling water, no thawing, with an extra minute or two.

Potato pierogi

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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