Pierogis and a Basic Pasta Recipe

Aaah, pierogis, you darlin' dumplin', you crowd-pleasing indulgence, you sweet outlet for using up a giant Tupperware of leftover mashed potatoes.

Tonight, I made pierogis, or at least my version of 'em, using leftover red-skinned mashed potatoes and fresh herbs from my garden. The following is the basic recipe (estimating, because this is something you basically have to eyeball based on what you have), assuming you don't want to make the dough from scratch.

If you do, kudos- and read on- because the basic pasta recipe follows.

Courtney's Leftover Mashed Potato Pierogis

Makes around 20 pierogis, depending on what you have

~3 cups mashed potatoes

(if they're leftover and thus seasoned already, omit following seasonings*)

*1/2 tsp salt

*a few grinds of black pepper

*pinch of onion powder

~1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, or cheddar cheese blend

~2 tsp chopped fresh chives

~2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1 package won ton wrappers, or 1/2 batch of pasta dough, made per following directions

butter for frying (or maybe olive oil, though I'd recommend not cutting this corner)

In a large bowl, combine mashed potatoes (and seasonings if using fresh mashed potatoes), cheese, and herbs

Spoon about 1 TBS of potato filling per won ton wrapper, or 3"x5" rectangle of pasta dough, onto one side

Use water to moisten edges of rectangle (just swipe it around
with your finger), fold rectangle in half, and gently press around
edges to seal completely

Gently drop sealed dumplings into salted boiling water

Dumplings are cooked through when their color lightens slightly and they float

Transfer boiled dumplings directly into preheated (to medium heat) frying pan with melted butter and fry
until golden on both sides

Serve immediately with a dipping sauce of your choice- we did a roasted tomato marinara and it was awesome

Enjoy!

Now, for those of you (I mean us, ahem) who are gluttons for punishment... or maybe you just have extra extra time to kill... try making the wrappers from homemade pasta dough instead of store-bought won ton wrappers, just for kicks...

Basic Homemade Pasta Dough

Makes enough for a huge family... noodles, ravioli, lasagna sheets... 

3 C unbleached all-purpose flour (you can sub whole-wheat flour,

though the texture will be impacted... just don't use whole wheat pastry flour!)

1 tsp Kosher salt

~5 eggs

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the center and crack your eggs directly into the well.

With a fork, start whisking the eggs into the surrounding flour, slowly incorporating the walls of the well until a sticky
dough forms. When dough starts coming together, discard the fork and start kneading with your hands. Knead
until flour is fully incorporated (if needed, add a bit of water if you have too much flour leftover, or add
a bit more flour if your dough is too sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 30 minutes.

When dough has rested, tear off balls about the size of golf balls,
roll in flour, flatten into oval disks, and either roll out as thin
as possible with a rolling pin, or pass through pasta machine until
thin enough to see through just a bit (glass of wine optional).

After pasta sheets have been made, you can cut them into the required rectangles for pierogis, use whole for lasagna, cut into ribbons for noodles, or invent something new! This dough is incredibly versatile and forgiving. Unused dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge for a couple of days, and uncooked noodles can be dried overnight and stored in a zip-top bag for a few months in a cool dry place.

Enjoy!