Photo by Meaghan Susi, styling by Grace Kelly
Every Easter (I know, what a way to start a post called “Thanksgiving Pierogi!”), my great-grandmother would lug a pyrex dish filled with homemade Pierogi to my grandparent’s house. Her fragile hands shaking, she’d place what was everyone’s favorite part of the meal on the table and watch as they quickly disappeared. At the heart of it, pierogi are simple fare: potato filled dumplings, sometimes spiked with saurkraut and farmers cheese, sometimes a sweet version filled with strawberries or cherries. Last year, I made a Thanksgiving twist on the classic pierogi with stuffing, cranberry sauce and cheesy potatoes. Each pillowy bite was tinged with creamy potatoes, tart cranberry sauce, and the savory-herb flavor of stuffing. Tangled with caramelized onions and served with sour cream, these are truly a labor of delicious love.
This recipe serves around 6 people.
Filling
- 1 pound potatoes (There’s some debate about what type of potato to use. I think you can’t go wrong with either Russett or Yukon Gold, just depends on if you want a fluffier or creamier pierogi filling)
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 box stuffing, cooked and cooled
- 1 can cranberry sauce, or about 1.5 cups homemade
Dough (Based on an America’s Test Kitchen recipe)
- 13 3/4 ( 2 1/2 cups) oz bread flour
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup sour cream
For Serving:
3 onions, cut in half and sliced thinly
3 Tbsp butter
2-3 Tbsp oil
For the filling:
- Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch rounds and place into stock pot filled with salted water to cover.
- Bring potatoes to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium heat and cook until fork tender.
- Drain potatoes and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the butter, cheddar, sauerkraut, salt, pepper, and mustard, and whip on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Place in container fridge until ready to use.
For the dough:
- To make the dough, whisk dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) in a clean stand mixer bowl. Attach to stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
- With mixer on low speed, add egg yolk, egg and sour cream. Bring speed up to medium-high, and knead for 6 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
For assembly:
- When ready to assemble, lightly flour a clean work surface and rolling pin. Cut dough in quarters, wrapping three pieces in plastic wrap for later.
- Roll dough to around 1/4 inch thick. Use a 3-inch wide circle cookie cutter to create rounds.
- Roll each round to make it slightly oblong, then spread 1/2 Tbsp of cranberry sauce in center. Place 1/2 Tbsp of mashed potato mixture and 1/2 Tbsp stuffing on top of cranberry sauce. Pull one edge up and over the fillings, then press into the other side.
For serving:
Note: If making in advance (which I highly recommend! Saves time and frantic scrambling) freeze in a single layer on sheet-trays lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, store in freezer bags.
- Heat 3 Tbsp of butter in a skillet. Add onions, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and sautee, stirring occasionally, until golden, around 15-20 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Heat oil a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add frozen (or fresh) pierogi, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes each side.
- Once both sides are browned, add 1/4 cup water and place a lid on to steam the pierogi. If frozen, this will take around 4-5 minutes, if fresh, you might skip this step or steam for 2-3 minutes. Repeat until all pierogi are cooked through.
- To serve, place pierogi in dish with onions. Serve with sour cream and chopped chives.
