Soft potato and cheese pierogi ruskie: farmer's cheese filling and butter-browned onions

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Cook the potatoes

   25 min

   Peel the potatoes, cut them into large chunks, and boil in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, let the steam escape briefly, and mash until smooth while still warm.

2. Brown the onions

   10 min

   Finely chop the onions and cook them in the butter, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Set aside half the onions along with their butter for serving.

3. Make the filling

   10 min

   Stir the mashed quark and the remaining half of the onions into the lukewarm potatoes. Season with salt and generously with black pepper. The filling should be dense and slightly salty, as the dough will mellow its flavor. Let cool completely.

4. Make the dough

   35 min

   While the potatoes cool, mix the flour with the salt, add the lukewarm water and oil, and knead for 5–8 minutes until smooth and soft. Cover with a bowl and let rest for 30 minutes.

5. Fill the pierogi

   40 min

   Working in batches, roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 2 mm. Use a glass to cut out circles 7–8 cm in diameter. Place a mound of filling on each circle, fold in half, and firmly pinch the edges together with your fingers so they do not open during cooking. Knead the scraps together and roll out again. This amount makes about 40 pierogi.

6. Boil the pierogi

   15 min

   Lower the pierogi in batches into a large pot of boiling salted water. Stir gently to keep them from sticking to the bottom. Once they float to the surface, cook for another 2–3 minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon.

7. Serve

   5 min

   Spoon the reserved onions and butter over the pierogi and serve with sour cream.

Tip: You can freeze the pierogi uncooked: arrange them on a floured tray, freeze, then transfer to a bag. Cook them straight from frozen for another 4–5 minutes after they float to the surface.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Mäkké ruské pirohy so zemiakmi a tvarohom: jemnejšie ako bryndzové, s opraženou cibuľkou