Ever since we went to this Polish-Mexican restaurant in London’s Shepherd Markey, Liat loves pirogies. Sadly, they are not abound in the US, especially not fresh ones. The remedy – the recipe below.
Dough
3 cups flour
1 cup water
1 large egg
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. salt
Put flour in large, shallow bowl and make a well in center. Add remaining
ingredients and beat them with a fork to combine but not with the flour. Use
wooden spoon to gradually incorporate the flour until a soft dough forms.
Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead, dusting with flour as necessary,
until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Invert a bowl over the dough and let
stand for an hour.
Make filling while dough stands:
Potato
1 ½ lbs. russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” squares
6 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese (2 ¼ cups)
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, transfer to a
bowl with remaining ingredients and mash. Make spoonfuls worth of filling balls
and cover with plastic wrap.
Onion topping
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 stick butter
Cook onion slowly (medium-low heat) in butter until golden brown, about 30
minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Form and cook pirogues:
Bring a large spaghetti pot of salt water to a boil. Meanwhile, halve dough and
roll out one half on lightly floured surface 1/8” thick. Keep the other half covered
by that inverted bowl. Cut with a glass into 24 rounds. Put filling ball in center
of each round and pinch edges to seal. You can use a little water to seal better.
Transfer onto a lightly floured towel and cover with another towel.
Once water boils add half of the pirogues, stirring once to separate them and
cook 5 minutes or until they float to surface. Remove and toss gentle in onion
topping.
You can also form but not cook pirogues and freeze for a month. Best freezing
technique is in one flat row until frozen, then transfer into plastic bags. Reheat in
butter in a skillet, stirring until golden brown.