Perogies are awesome, but you don't need to be Polish to enjoy them, or even to make them. Most of the taste comes from the filling, but the dough also has to be made just right in order to get perfectly cooked pirogies instead of chewy, rubbery pockets. Once you've got those two steps down, you can use them up right away or freeze them and keep them indefinitely—and they'll still taste way better than those cardboard frozen things found in the freezer section at the grocery store.
Does it take a little time to make the perfect perogies? Well, sure. You are after all, making dough from scratch and making individual little pockets. But it's so worth it and once you've practiced your hand at it a couple of times; it really does become old hat and it won't take you nearly as long as that first time. So pull out your rolling pin, make sure you've got plenty of sour cream and bacon on hand, and follow these tips for making perogies!
1. Give the potatoes a rough mashWhatever else you're putting into your perogie filling, there's little doubt that mashed potatoes are going to be a part of it. And while there are many ways to mash potatoes, there's only one way to mash potatoes meant for perogies—with an actual potato masher. So forget about the hand mixer, the food mill, and even the ricer. Giving the potatoes a rough mash with a potato masher will help the potatoes keep some of their texture, which is definitely something you want in your perogie filling. Plus, if the potatoes are too smooth, it will be difficult to fold and close the perogies.
2. Make the filling hot
Some people say that it's okay to make the mashed potatoes a day or so ahead of time, and then just pull it out of the fridge when you're ready to assemble your perogies. But if you're going to do that, you need to make all of the filling at the same time and then place it all in the fridge together. If you don't, it will be too difficult to mix the mashed potatoes with the onions, bacon, cheese, and whatever else you're using as filling. So make it all at the same time and if you want to leave the dough and assembling for another day, store the filling as a whole in the fridge.
3. Make the dough
Some people use regular pasta dough when they make perogies but again, that's a big mistake. This is Polish food after all, not Italian! Instead, use actual perogie dough that, yes, uses sour cream in the actual dough.
To do it combine 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and then add 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 egg, and 2/3 cup of water. Combine everything with a spoon then turn out onto a counter or work surface and knead about 50 times until smooth. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes before rolling and cutting.
4. Don't roll the dough too thick
While perogie dough is not pasta dough, it still needs to be rolled thinly like pasta dough. Otherwise it will be chewy and rubbery, and totally unappetizing—not something you want in perogie dough. To keep that from happening, roll the dough out to 1/8" thick and your perogie dough will be thin and delicate; just like it's supposed to be. Then just use a cookie cutter or a cup to cut out circles for your individual perogies.
5. Fill and seal
You went to all that trouble to make the filling and now it's time to use it! Be careful to only use about one tablespoon of filling per perogie. Any more and the perogies are likely to burst open when you place them in the pot, leaving you with scraps of perogie dough and filling in your pot, and no perogies.
Once you place your tablespoon of perogie dough into the middle of the circle of dough, fold the pasta over the filling so both of the sides meet. Pinch the two ends of dough together to firmly seal and then set aside on a plate or baking sheet dusted with flour and repeat with remaining perogies.
6. Boil
You can cook your perogies however you like. You can fry them, you can even bake them, but above all else, you need to boil them first. Boiling them ensures that the seal remains intact, that the perogie is cooked through, and that the dough is also completely cooked. So before you cook your perogies in your preferred way, boil them first for five minutes, or so, then drain.
