Potato-Filled Vareniki or Pierogi
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, more or less
- 2 large onions, diced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic, optional
- 2 cups well-seasoned mashed potatoes
- 1 recipe Wrappers for Vareniki, Pelmeni, or Pierogi (page 58)
- 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
- Sour cream for garnish
- Put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions, along with a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion wilts, then turns brown, as long as 30 minutes.
- Its okay if the onion gets a bit crisp on the edges, but dont cook it too fast; basically you want a kind of onion compote.
- Combine half the onions and the garlic, if youre using it, with the mashed potatoes, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Lay a wrapper on a work surface, then place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of it; brush the edges of the wrapper with egg white, then pinch tightly to close.
- If you have cut circles, form half-moons; if you have cut squares, form triangles.
- Press the seam tightly to seal; its best if no air is trapped between the filling and wrapper.
- Set on a lightly floured plate or wax paper.
- (At this point, you may cover tightly and refrigerate for up to a day or freeze for a couple of weeks.)
- To boil the dumplings, melt the remaining butter, set a large pot of water to boil, and preheat the oven to 200F.
- Salt the water and boil the dumplings a few at a time until they rise to the surface.
- A minute or two later, taste a bit of the dough to see whether it is tender.
- As they finish, remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon and put them in an ovenproof bowl; drizzle them with some of the butter and put the bowl in the oven.
- When the dumplings are done, make sure they are coated evenly with butter.
- Reheat the reserved onions and toss them with the pierogi.
- Serve hot with sour cream.
- Put about 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat.
- When the butter melts, add as many dumplings as will fit without crowding and brown them quickly, turning once or twice.
- Keep warm on a plate in the oven, cooking the remaining dumplings and adding butter to the skillet as needed.
- Serve hot.
- Use Kasha with Bacon and Onions (page 529) or Kasha with Mushrooms (page 529) as a filling.
butter, onions, salt, garlic, potatoes, recipe wrappers, egg whites, sour cream
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/potato-filled-vareniki-or-pierogi-385630 (may not work)