Last week, I shared my flaxseed pasta recipe with you all. That recipe is versatile and easy to work into several different dishes. Today, I’m excited to share with you the four easy steps that stand between you and delicious, egg free pierogis.
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Are you ready?
Make Mashed Potatoes
Okay, so the truth is you can definitely use instant mashed potatoes. It’s definitely the most convenient option if you’re a very busy human. However, I found myself with some free time on my hands and decided to make mashed potatoes the old fashioned way.
Using this fantastic bamboo steamer basket made steaming six potatoes incredibly easy. After washing the spuds, I simply cubed them and added them to the basket. It has two levels, so all of the potatoes were steamed in the same go! This basket fits in several different pots, but I prefer using our wok. It just seems to be the best fit.
Anyway, once the potatoes were steamed (which only took about 10-15 minutes), I added them to my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. Those of you that have been reading my posts know that I cannot say enough about this amazing machine! In a matter of minutes, with just about 1/4 cup of milk, I had consistently and thoroughly mashed potatoes.
Using the Kitchen Aid to mix also ensures that the flavors you add to your filling are evenly distributed. The filling itself can be whatever you want! Whether it’s a classic potato and cheese, or something a little more innovative, the pierogi is an excellent canvas for whatever you choose. For these, I added sage, rosemary, cheddar cheese, curry, and cayenne. They were fantastic!
Roll the Pasta Dough
I cover most of this in my previous post, but for pierogis you don’t want to roll the dough nearly as thin. Using my pasta rolling attachment for the Kitchen Aid, I rolled the dough out to the 4th setting (about 1/16 of an inch). This is significantly more thick than the 6th setting I used to make fettuccine.
Leaving the dough in a thicker state will help it hold together while also containing the filling. You don’t want your pierogis to fall apart or leak. I’ve had decent success in achieving this with the 4th setting.
Fill and Form the Pierogi
I know several people that hand form their pierogis. I prefer a slightly simpler approach, so I use a dough press. When I got all of this amazing pasta equipment for Christmas last year, that included a set of three dough presses. Each has its purpose, but I’ve found that the smallest press (4 inches) is perfect for pierogi making.
Using a circular cookie cutter, a mason jar, or whatever you find to match the size of the press, cut your dough into circles. Place the cutout onto the press and fill with a rounded 1/2 tablespoon of filling.
Next, close the dough press, making sure that the pasta gets closed in the crimped edge (see picture). My first time making these, I made the mistake of thinking the dough press was going to crimp on the first try. You need to really apply pressure to the edges to make sure the pierogi is sealed. Sometimes I’ve found it helpful to open the press and re-close to ensure the crimp is solid.
Boil, Fry, and Enjoy!
Actually forming the pierogis is probably the part of this process that takes the longest. But it’s so worth the effort! Using one batch of dough, I made about two dozen pierogi.
So at this point you have two dozen or so pierogis. Congrats! But, how to cook them? A lot of times you can just boil them and they’re ready to go, and this recipe is no exception. These pierogis will be ready to eat after just four short minutes in some boiling water.
But I didn’t stop there!
What really takes these over the top is frying them after boiling them! In a skillet over the stove, heat some olive oil and sautee some peppers and onions. Next, add your pierogis. Let all of that cook together for about a minute on each side. Now you have a cripsy, potato-filled, egg free pasta dish that is good for the soul.
As always, I look forward to hearing from you about your experiences with my recipes! Would you do something differently? Did something else work well for you? Let me know!
Have a good week everyone! I’ll talk to you again soon.