Potato And Mushroom Pierogies With Roasted Apples

Serves: 3

Ashlynn O'Reilly

1 January 1970

Based on User reviews:

56

Spice

57

Sweetness

53

Sourness

42

mins

Prep time (avg)

4.9

Difficulty

Ingredients:

2 tbsps

Unsalted Butter

1 cup

Sour Cream

1 pinch

Salt

1 large

Leek

4 sprigs

Thyme (fresh)

1 cup

Heavy Cream

1 cup

Sugar

Directions:

1

To make the pierogi dough: Mix the 4 eggs, butter, sour cream, and salt together in a bowl with a whisk

2

Sift the flour onto a flat work surface and make a well in the center, pour the wet ingredients into the crater

3

Stir the mixture together with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the well until a soft dough forms

4

Squeeze the dough with your hands, if it¿s too sticky, add a bit of flour; if it¿s not pliable, add a couple of drops of water

5

Knead the dough, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes

6

Gather the dough into a ball and cover it with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap for 10 minutes or so to rest

7

To make the filling: Cook the potato cubes in boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes

8

Drain and then mash them with a ricer or regular old potato masher while they are still hot; set them aside to cool while preparing the rest of the filling

9

Trim the root off the end of the leek and cut off all but 1-inch of the green part

10

Halve the leek lengthwise and rinse really well under cool water, checking for dirt everywhere; it gets trapped in all the layers of outer leaves

11

Slice the leek finely

12

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat

13

Add the leek, mushrooms, and thyme, saute for a few minutes to soften the vegetables; season with salt and pepper

14

Continue to cook until the vegetables are broken down and almost dry, then pour in the cream, stir to incorporate

15

Remove the pan from the heat, take out the sprigs of thyme, and scrape the mushroom mixture into the potatoes, mix well to incorporate the ingredients

16

Make sure the filling is not too hot, or it will start to cook the dough, causing it to sog

17

Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter

18

Take 1/2 of the dough (leaving the rest covered so it doesn¿t dry out while you work) and roll it out into a thin circle, about 1/8-inch thick

19

Using a 3-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the dough

20

Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border

21

Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash and brush it on the edges of the circle

22

Fold the dough over in 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle and seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork

23

Lightly tap the bottoms of the dumplings on the counter to make it flat

24

Repeat with the remaining half of dough and filling

25

You should make about 35 pierogies; put 1/2 of them in the freezer to keep on hand (they are better than the ones you find in the frozen section of the grocery store

26

) Coat a large saute pan (that has a tight fitting lid) with vegetable oil and place over medium heat

27

Lay the pierogies in the pan (you may have to do this in batches) and fry them for a couple of minutes until they start to crisp and brown on both sides

28

Pour in 1 cup of water and cover the pan to let the pierogies steam; when the water evaporates the turnovers should be cooked and crisp

29

Arrange the pierogies on a platter, garnish with parsley, and serve with roasted apples and/or sour cream

30

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

31

Spread the apples out in a casserole pan and add the lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and butter

32

Bake until the apples are roasted and soft, about 30 minutes

33

Serve the chunky apple sauce with pierogies, either hot or chilled