An iconic Eastern European dish, perogies are stuffed dumplings that can be enjoyed either boiled or pan fried. There’s a reason why this cuisine has travelled across the globe, because however you choose to prepare them, they’re as delicious as the ones from the old country!
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 – 7 minutes
Yield: 48 perogies
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 480 g / 4 cups all purpose flour
- 3 g / 1/2 tsp salt
- 180 g / 3/4 cup water
- 120 g / 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- 42 g / 3 tbsp Mirage margarine, melted and cooled
For the filling:
- 56 g / 1/4 cup Mirage margarine
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces
- 220 g / 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 12 g / 2 tsp salt
- 1 g / 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 g / 1/4 tsp nutmeg
Directions
For the filling:
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by 1 inch (2.5 centimetres). Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and gently boil until a knife can easily pierce the potato, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl to cool.
- Melt Mirage margarine in a skillet over medium heat and cook onions until soft and lightly browned, 6 minutes; set aside to cool.
- Place onions, cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in the bowl with the cooled potatoes; mash until smooth.
For the dough:
- In a large bowl, combine both the flour and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the water, sour cream, egg and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the flour and stir well to create a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, 6 – 8 minutes.
- Cover dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide dough into 4 portions. Roll one portion into a circle 1/8 inch (0.3 centimetre) thick, leaving the other three portions of dough covered.
- Cut out 3 inch (7.6 centimetre) rounds and place a heaping spoonful of filling in the centre of each round. Dampen one half of the circle’s edge with water and press the other half over to create a half circle.
- Press and crimp well to seal; place under a clean damp tea towel while continuing with the rest of the dough and filling.
- To cook perogies, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add perogies, without crowding the pot, and stir a couple of times with a spoon to prevent them from sticking. Once perogies float to the top (about 2 minutes), cook them for 1 more minute. Drain and serve.
- For pan fried perogies, melt 1 tablespoon (14 grams) of Mirage margarine in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry boiled perogies until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
Chef Note
- To freeze perogies, lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the freezer. Once frozen solid, transfer perogies to a plastic freezer bag. Increase boiling time to about 6 – 7 minutes.
